Fairies in Moonlight
by Corinne Tate
Summary: Sequel to Dragons at Twilight, book two of the Dragon Prophesy Chronicles. Alyss the fairy visits the realm of Fey with her friends, as they seek to negotiate a passage through the realm to take the dragons home. Nothing is as it seems, and conflict will test the group from within and without. On Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1: Other Side

**A/N: This is a sequel to Dragons at Twilight, a planned trilogy in an alternate fantasy universe. You could jump right in with this one, but I would advise reading the the first book to keep you from being confused. Apologies to returning readers for all the summarizing.**

Book two: Dragon Prophesy Chronicles

Fairies in Moonlight

Chapter one

Other Side

The tilt of the gateway made us all fall when we hit the ground on the other side. I landed on a pile of arms, legs, and complaints, just in time to watch the gateway close. My wings fluttered and I was the first one up. Be'lah climbed off of Ehd Wyrd's prone body and helped him to stand. J'Spurr looked like he'd been on the bottom of the pile, and I worried about him when I noticed his wing was bent. In moments, the gossamer silver wing straightened, and he fluttered to my side. M, Ghar'rett, and Rose all brushed themselves off as they stood. We'd made it!

A wizened old man approached us clapping his hands together, a smile stretching over his notably white teeth.

"Wonderful! I thought I'd never see visitors again! What can you tell me of Ny'a, it's been such a long time?" Even as he asked the question, his eyes fell to my necklace, and the smile disappeared from his face.

"You're not Ny'a, and yet you wear her necklace... you look like her. Who are you, what's happened?" He sat down on what looked like a giant red mushroom. "I knew something bad happened. I would have gone through to check on her, but every time I leave my post, those rapscallions sneak through!" He glanced around him and over his shoulder, and I heard faint giggling.

"I'm Ny'a's daughter—I'm Alyss. These are my friends: Be'lah—who is a fi'nyx, even though she looks completely human; Ehd Wyrd—who was once a human prince, but is now a dragon—he chose human form with magic; Eh'met and Ghar'rett—who have always been dragons, but they're also traveling as humans; and Rose—Ehd Wyrd's sister, who is still a human princess. That gorgeous fairy there is J'Spurr—Ehd Wyrd and Rose's brother—who was once a human prince, but now is also truly a dragon, but he chose that cute fairy form just for me."

The man looked confused, then stood up to greet each of us. "I am... Al...Al'stayr—I almost forgot. It's been a couple human lifetimes since I've had real visitors. Do you know why there have been no new guardians? I am very tired and... it's been so very long." I could tell this was going to take a while.

Our group needed some time to adjust to being in Fey, where the very air was different than we were used to. To me, it was energizing, and tasted delicious on my tongue. While they took stock of our surroundings, I told Al'stayr what had happened on the other side

"My mother, Ny'a, was attacked over a hundred years ago, by a human wizard named Jheyms. He was an evil man who had learned how to leech the life and magic from living things. He was able to find and subdue Ny'a—though I don't believe he even knew about the gateway at the time. He drained most of her magic, and you know fairies have a _lot _of magic. You know that the gateway was on a sea stack, and it perceived what happened to its guardian as an attack against itself. There was an earthquake, and the sea stack with the gateway and my mother's garden, crumbled into the ocean, completely disappearing from human eyes." Al'stayr gasped at the news, and tears trickled from his eyes.

"So he killed her...?"

"No, not exactly. Jheyms was poisoned by the magic he'd stolen from her, and it turned him into something worse than an evil man. He was entirely corrupted by the power, and there were no good sorcerers powerful enough to stand against him. He killed those who even tried. Jheyms set many things in motion, that have lead us to this point."

"What happened to Ny'a? She was such a pretty little thing, and so cheerful. She threw me a party for my birthday... how long ago was that...?" He seemed to lose track of what he was saying.

"It had to have been over a hundred years ago. She could no longer guard the gateway, and she couldn't even return home without her magic. She swam to the mainland, and the people there took care of her until she was physically mended. She gave them her necklace and told them to keep it for me, even though I didn't exist then. She told them of the future as she saw it in her visions. Then one night she slipped away while everyone slept.

"She went to Plaht Island, where she knew these prophesies would culminate, and Jheyms would meet his end. She didn't arrive soon enough to stop his enslaved witch from putting the royal Kellan family under a curse, and disappearing. She knew he would return as the curse expired, since he believed he would gain control of the throne, as well as the gateway to the Elvish realm—which has been invaded and is occupied by dragons. Jheyms wanted to call the dragons through the gateway, into the human realm, so he could subjugate all of humanity.

"Ny'a spent eighty years there, spinning fortunes and selling herbal remedies, before she met and married my father. A'lek was a small man himself, and he adored my mother. Most of those on the island considered her a witch. My father wasn't from the island; he was a peddler from the mainland, and he sold some of his goods to her. They fell in love and were wed. Two years later she was expecting me, and she knew she wasn't going to live long after my birth; I was too big and she was too small." It hurt to admit my part in her death, though I had no control over what happened.

"She lived just long enough to pass on her memories to me before she died. Those memories were locked in my head, and some of them leaked out occasionally. I also inherited the gift of foretelling, and as I grew up I was looked at as a witch, just like her."

Al'stayr laughed. "How could they think you were a witch, when you're clearly a fairy?"

"I didn't look like this then. I looked like a normal girl, with dark brown hair and eyes. But it was their fear that kept them from forcing me to submit to their decree. Life on Plaht Island had gone from being very good to almost unbearable. A new regent had been chosen to hold the throne while the Kellan's were away. Because they were cursed and in hiding, no one could take the throne and call themselves king or queen. Even after so much time had passed, the kings crown still hung from the throne, and no one could claim it. The ruling line of Plaht Island is descended from a dragon, and the crowns are crafted by the dragon's own scales. Only legitimate heirs can wear these crowns, or they die." I snatched the crown from Ehd Wyrd's head, and showed it to Al'stayr.

"Only someone descended from the first dragon king of Plaht Island, can wear the crown, unless it is the king chosen by the queen. Plaht Island is ruled by a matriarchy, and the title is passed through the women. King Kharl and Queen May were both in hiding, along with their children, Rose, J'Spurr, and Ehd Wyrd. They had to hide, because Jheyms wanted to kill the king and force either May or Rose to marry him—making him king. As king of the island, he would have unopposed access to the gateway to the former Elven realm. Jheyms' curse, changed the males into dragons. May could break the curse by leaving her husband and marrying Jheyms. Rose could also agree to marry the leech, and break the curse on her father and brothers. But no one could seize the throne, even though everyone who remembered the Kellan's grew old and died.

"May remained true to her husband, and Rose had fallen in love with a most unlikely suitor." I smiled at Rose and M, as he put an arm around her. "M was the new guardian of the gateway, though the elf guardian still lived. The Kellan family hid in the caves where this gateway remained unknown to humans. Because the witch and her husband who cursed them were both good people who were forced to do a bad thing, the curse kept them all young for a hundred years. The curse was tied in with the prophesy my mother had foreseen." It awed me how so much had been set in motion so long ago, even knowing how it all worked out. The prophesy was what my mother had seen shortly after Jheyms had stolen her power.

_"The dragons come for the great bird. Only in losing her life will she gain her future. Only in her future can the people be free. The dragons will seek her for their own, and the white wizard seeks her blood to open the gateway, and evil shall descend upon the great bird. Only when all hope is lost will hope be found." _

"That's not right!" Ghar'rett interrupted my story. "That may be how humans see it, but the dragons have a much better grasp of future events. Our prophesy is complete, and yours is missing the most important parts. This is how it has been passed down through the ages." What came from him sounded more like a chant, or a song.

_Great and noble, strong are we, until we find the door._

_Foolishly we run away, noble nevermore._

_Monsters all who doth partake, beings as our prey._

_Doomed we are and glory gone, waiting for the day._

_Younglings born not of our soul, little more than lizard._

_Many go when 'ere we hear, the calling of the wizard._

_Choose your leader carefully, one will save your soul._

_The other will enslave you, no virtues to extol._

_Chosen by the dragon prince, the sacrifice too high._

_Unexpected mysteries, the swan will surely die._

_Two will battle for the right, to lead the noble home._

_Hate will die and love prevail, bursting from the dome._

_Only when all hope is lost, will it be restored._

_Fiery justice takes to flight, to slay the evil hoard._

_Glory rests with honor, waiting for the call._

_Sight can be deceptive, rock enshrines not all._

* * *

_Passing from the realm of Man, into one of Fey._

_Questing for the doorway home, maybe find the way._

_Unexpected rivalries, hatreds, wars, and feuds._

_Careful of the treacherous, whimsical of moods._

_Foes come from forgotten home, enemies of brown._

_Horror dies at hands of fair, unfair taken down._

_Fiery justice takes to flight, called into the war._

_Heeding promises to lead, the noble to the door._

_Love is tested once again, will it lose or win?_

_Fragile peace and hope is born, 'cross the lines of kin. _

_Glory seems at last at hand, sleeping soon to wake._

_But foul the evil lurking, proves goodness to be fake. _

_Hope again is tested, balanced on a lie,_

_Will love fragile disappear, or prove to never die?_

* * *

_Sinister the plans unfold, of unseen hands that toil._

_If the noble make it home, the wicked may they foil._

_Lovely is the vision, of our realm restored._

_Something is amiss so foul, in the land adored._

_Shame to those of treachery, shame to those who scheme._

_Evil are the ones who make, nightmares out of dream._

_Plotting seeking power, control and adulation._

_Conspiracy of havoc, descends upon all nations._

_Three together six apart, stronger by the pair._

_Evil works with unfair tools, stills the breath of care._

_Fiery justice takes to flight, fighting evil's woe._

_Sacrifice again too high, loving one will go. _

_Hope is lost, love is gone, evil testifies._

_From the other side of life, history defies._

_From whence the prophesy began, history denies! _

We all stood around Ghar'rett, and for a while none of us spoke. M merely nodded, as if assuring the rest of us that Ghar'rett spoke correctly.

"That's a lovely poem, but what does it all mean?" Rose asked the question those of us who weren't born dragons wanted to ask.

"The most wise among us have been pondering that one for centuries. No one really knows. But I do believe we have seen the first part of the prophesy come to pass. Is there anyone here who thinks the fi'nyx is not the 'fiery justice?' I am convinced the wizard who called us is the one from the prophesy. Remembering the prophesy is how I knew to fly into the dome to escape."

"So I'm supposed to be _fiery justice?"_ Be'lah looked skeptical. "Ghar'rett, how old is your prophesy?"

"I learned it when I was a hatchling, about two thousand years ago, but it's older than I am."

"That doesn't make any sense! R'ness hadn't even begun her plan to guide my lineage—I don't even know if she had been born then." Be'lah had always had a hard time with prophesy, especially since she was right in the middle of it.

"You don't understand, Be'lah. I've been dealing with prophesy a lot longer than you have. It's got nothing to do with sense, and more to do with magic." I tried again to explain it to her. The prophesy didn't care that her grandmother, the elf R'ness, had only begun her plan a thousand years before. Through her manipulation, Be'lah was as close to an elf as was possible, with her combined human and elven lineage. As far as I knew, she could be one of the last of her race, as their realm had been overrun with dragons over a thousand years ago. Even her elven ancestor didn't make it out of the caves when the volcano erupted on the island—poor thing.

It was difficult to explain everything to Al'stayr as well, but he was so hungry for information, it felt cruel to leave without speaking to him. The guardians of the gateways were tied to the gates, until someone else took their position, or the gateway was destroyed. Both Be'lah's elven ancestor, and the dragon M had been guardians of a gateway located in the human realm. The gateways were magical conduits between realms, and he'd been alone since my mother's gate collapsed into the sea, over a hundred years ago. Well, maybe not completely alone, as it seemed we were surrounded on all sides by some kind of beings watching us from the trees.

"Who are they, Al'stayr? I can hear them; I can feel them watching us." I looked off into the trees, seeing little glints of light and color flickering too fast to be seen clearly.

"They're pests!" He raised his voice, and I distinctly heard giggling. "I swear, the demons from the pit must have sent them to torment me in my old age—nonsensical little bugs—nothing good ever happens when they're around. They're the bane of my existence, they are. They're the reason I can't leave this gate unguarded, or they would have overrun the other side a long time ago."

"They're bugs?" He was confusing me, especially since I could hear laughter, and sometimes even whispering.

"No, they're _fairies!_ Miserable miscreants all of them!" His eyes fell on me, and his demeanor changed instantly. "Oh, I don't mean _you _my dear. I forgot you're not from this side. You have to understand, there are many, many different kinds of fairies, and some of the differences are profound. Those little rascals are the most bothersome I've found. They're sneaks and spies, and they take special delight in tormenting me. I must be careful when and where I take my rest. I have awakened tied in the top of a tree, or with a hornet's nest woven into my hair. They've stolen my clothes so many times I have lost count, and they have even tried to murder me in my sleep! Don't trust them—ever!"

"How many different kinds of fairies are there? My mother didn't pass that along to me." It was strange, since I had so many of her memories in my head, I often thought I had all the knowledge of her entire life. But I'd discovered there were gaps—sometimes profound gaps. It's the reason I didn't know that putting on her necklace would keep J'Spurr from touching me, unless he wanted to be painfully zapped across the room.

"There are more kinds of fairies than I can count. Most of the creatures on this side are some sort of fairy. You are related to some of the most civilized and human-like. Those ones..." He pointed at the trees surrounding us. "...are magical mischief makers. They're almost pure magic, and they have absolutely no conscience. I've come to understand that this realm changes every creature in it. I believe the gateway is what keeps me human, or in all this time on this side, I would likely have grown wings and sparkling skin." He laughed at the absurd image.

"Do you plan on staying long?" His question made me pause. I knew the other fairies were listening to us, and he'd already called them spies. Ghar'rett's prophesy was still fresh in my mind, and I worried about our mission being hampered if our news fell on the wrong ears. Another of my mother's memories surfaced, and without thinking, I cast a spell for privacy. The two of us were enclosed in a silence bubble, and though we could see out, I knew from the way everyone else reacted, that we were invisible to them. J'Spurr quickly discovered the dimensions of the bubble, and I hated that the magic had left him on the outside, and separated from me again. I knew no one could hear us while we were inside the magical shield.

"We're looking for another gateway. We have a lot of dragons on the other side, and they want to go home. The door leading to the elvish realm has been destroyed on the human side, so they can't go back the way they came. I know where to find the other gateway, and we hope to be able to lead the dragons back home, through this realm."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean I'm not very familiar with dragons, but they're pretty frightening. Not only that, but the fairies on this side would probably react poorly to having dragons roaming through their realm. All it would take, would be for one dragon to do something wrong, and... fairies are known to be quite merciless when they're crossed—no offense."

"I think if we find the gateway and get permission from the fairies, it should be possible to make the crossing short and painless."

"The only thing short and painless about fairies, is their size. I hope you know what you're doing." He glanced over my shoulder. "Are they going to be alright?" I looked at the rest of the group, and only Be'lah seemed to be doing well. Her elven ancestry was probably helping her deal with the magic. Rose looked terrible, leaning on M for support, as her face seemed to change colors by the minute. Her hair was lank and lifeless around her, and even her blue eyes seemed dull. It was more than just being damp from the swim to the gateway; she really looked ill.

"They're fighting the magic." His comment got my attention. "It's like they're underwater, and holding their breath. It's not a conscious choice they're making, it just happens when beings from other realms come here. Only fairies are attuned to the abundant magic; elves are a close relative of the Fey, so it doesn't bother them as much. But the rest will have to adjust—like learning to breathe under water."

"How long will that take?" I was worried, as everyone was looking as if they'd eaten a bad meal.

"It can happen in a few hours, or it can take weeks. Those with stronger wills take longer, unless they are very adaptive. The affects are mostly harmless, but it can make them miserable for a while. I don't need to tell you, that staying here too long will change them. As soon as their bodies adapt to the magic, it starts trying to change them. In as little as a full cycle of the moons, you could see differences. If they stay here too long, they may never want to leave." His warning resonated with me. I'd felt that very strong desire one time back on the other side. I'd visited the place where Be'lah's grandmother had made her home, and the magic I felt from the place had a magnetic pull on me that was almost impossible to deny.

"Well, I hope you'll understand then, that we need to leave as soon as we're able. I want to make our plans and get to the gateway before any of those changes take place." His face fell, clearly showing his disappointment.

"I was afraid of that. I've become a lonely old man guarding this infernal gate. When I took this assignment I was young, and so filled with pride to be chosen. Tell me, are the K'will Uttes still living on the mainland across from the gate? I'm sure they've forgotten about me by now. Maybe you could give them a message when you go back?"

"They're still there, but without my mother on that side, they could never find the gate. It was magically hidden."

"That explains a lot. Well, let me know if there's anything I can do to help you along. I won't hold you here any longer."

As soon as I dropped the privacy shield, everyone converged on us, asking questions. With a flutter of my wings I was eye to eye with them, and I didn't have to strain my neck to look up.

"I'll be happy to tell you everything I know, but I think we need to get moving, since we're not alone here, and we don't have much time."

Be'lah came alongside me as everyone stood up so we could travel. "I take it we should be careful what we say?" Her voice was soft, but I didn't know how well the fairies could hear.

"I'm worried about that prophesy. I don't want to get caught up in someone else's wars, rivalries and feuds." I found that I too was whispering.

"It might happen anyway." She bit her lip and glanced at the trees. "No matter how hard I fought against it, I couldn't make the prophesy go away. I couldn't change what happened. Maybe we should start preparing for that prophesy."

"I don't know how we can prepare a defense, when some of us can barely stand." Even as I said it, Rose stood taller and squared her shoulders.

"I'm ready to go. The prophesy hasn't killed us yet, and I'm not giving up now." She laced her fingers with M's, and as if that was the signal we were waiting for, we waved goodbye to Al'stayr and started to walk.

We were in the center of a small island, and soon we reached the beach. We could see the mainland from where we stood.

"Do we swim or fly from here?" J'Spurr was close enough I could hear his soft question, but he was careful not to touch me.

"Flying would be faster, but if everyone changes back into dragons, it could attract a lot of attention. We could swim, but we really don't know what's in the water. My mother's memories are making me feel afraid of what could be lurking below the surface."

"Then we should definitely change back. If we've got to face danger, we'd be better off facing it as dragons."

"I"m not so sure. We're in their realm now, and something tells me fairies aren't as easy to defeat as elves—not when they have limitless magic. Can't you feel it, J'Spurr? It feels like a warm blanket surrounding me. I can smell it in the air, like sunshine and perfume. I can taste it, like honey on my tongue. I can even see it floating through the air like dust motes. It makes me tingle from the inside out!"

"I used to do that to you." His sullen words tore at me. I couldn't look at his sad eyes, and I fought not to touch my necklace for reassurance.

"Okay. We'll do it your way. If the four of you want to change back to dragons, we'll fly across."

In minutes there were dragons on the beach. The giggling I heard in the distance told me we had been followed by the "spies." I wondered if they'd ever seen dragons, but my mother's memories assured me that dragons lived in Fey. Four dragons rested in the sand: one silver, one bronze, a large black, and an enormous blue. Be'lah was already astride Ehd Wyrd, and M carefully lifted Rose to his back. J'Spurr waited for me, and I stepped closer. Even as I reached for him, I felt the gathering of the magical energy that would send a charge through him. I couldn't do it.

Instead I flew to Ghar'rett and alighted on his back. Even though Be'lah and I could fly on our own, it was faster and easier to ride on the backs of the dragons. One by one, they leaped into the air, and their great wings unfurled.

We knew to expect trouble, but we were still unprepared when we were out over the water and came under attack from the sea. Even my mother's memories failed me, as massive tentacles reached up from the ocean below us. Ehd Wyrd was the fastest and most likely to escape, so I was surprised when he was ensnared by two of the living black cables. Even before he could fly his evasive patterns, he was wrapped in powerful coils that crushed his wings to his body, and ripped him from the air like he was nothing more than a bug on the end of a frog's tongue.

Be'lah tumbled from his back and immediately she flew with her own magic. She managed to evade the whip-like tentacle that was trying to grab her, but the magical bolts she cast at those holding Ehd Wyrd seemed to have no affect. I screamed a warning too late, as another living rope shot up from the water and wrapped around her, and she disappeared amid the thick coils.

M faced the waving mass of tentacles and breathed his fiery breath at them. Several burst into flame, then disappeared back into the water. Before I could take a relieved breath, more replaced those he'd damaged. They snapped toward the big black dragon with a single-minded menace, and a speed he couldn't match. He choked out one burst of flame before he was caught in six of the binding ligatures. Princess Rose fell.

J'Spurr dove to save his sister, and I held my breath until he snatched her in his clawed fingers. Watching him fly thrilled me, even though we were in such danger. His silvery form moved with lightning speed as he evaded the grasp of the tentacles. With a twist he doubled back, and breathed his icy attack, freezing both tentacles and the water surrounding them. He soared into the air, and the two limbs that were still reaching for him, were too short. He was free!

"Do something, Ghar'rett!" I didn't know what I expected him to do, but I couldn't stand feeling so helpless, as Ehd Wyrd and Be'lah were pulled into the water. The immense dragon had been further behind the others, and he'd stopped a cautious distance away. With a burst of speed, he flew at the tentacles holding M. His savage claws and teeth tore through four of the cords, and I was sprayed with a burning ichor that spurted from the severed tentacles. I knew he couldn't bite through all of them, and more were speeding toward us to replace those he'd destroyed.

"Use your breath!" I knew he had a powerful lightning breath that could fork out and catch all the offensive bindings.

"No! I'll kill your friends too. I can't choose friend or foe with..." His draconic speech was cut short, as a massive cord wrapped around his body with whip-like speed. He fought, and momentarily his strength won out and he was freed. His great wings beat the air and he circled around the mass that was still holding M. Another burst of speed took him into the mass, and he snapped five more of the strands. Whatever it was below the surface, decided he was their greatest threat, and a dozen of the heavy black ropes came for him. He was no match for so many, and they wrapped first around his hind legs and tail, dragging him closer to the writhing mass.

He was caught, and I heard the snap of his wings breaking, as a tentacle the size of a tree trunk snaked around his torso. I would have been crushed if I'd kept my seat on his back. Instead I flew, fighting to get away from the menacing cords.

I was faster than all of them. With the magic of Fey surrounding me, I easily dodged the through the tentacles, seeking something more substantial to attack. In the middle of the mass I could see a great black form, just beneath the surface of the water. The leviathan was larger than any ship I'd ever seen, and even from so far away, I could make out a great maw, lined with teeth.

I pulled the magic to me, feeling it gathering at my will. With nothing more than a thought and a pointed finger, I directed an burst of pure, magical destruction at the monster. The sea exploded, sending up a spout of water and more of that burning fluid. I'd hurt it badly, but the waving tentacles told me I hadn't killed it. I called even more magic to me—then screamed. An iron band wrapped around my ankle, and I felt the agony as it crushed the bone. I lost the spell.

For a moment I forgot I was a fairy, and clawed at the snare like a human girl. I knew the next tentacle would kill me and terror seized me, making me panic.

Then I was free.

J'Spurr came back for me, and his attack severed the binding on my leg.

"Go!" His roar snapped me out of my daze, and I flew like death itself pursued me. It did. I dodged and wove through the tentacles trying to grab me, feeling the whoosh of the air as they narrowly missed. I was soon out of its reach, and I spun to look for J'Spurr. He was caught!

He'd freed me, but he'd sacrificed himself and Rose to do it. I watched in horror as two tentacles wrapped around his precious body, squeezing the air out of him, and crushing his beautiful wings. I reached for my necklace, as a scream tore out of me.

"NO!"

Bright power blinded me from somewhere inside my own mind. In the after-image, I saw everything clearly: Bella and Ehd Wyrd were floating beneath the surface, as the creature sought to drown them before it would eat them; M and Gharret were still held above water, and I knew as if by instinct, that it would save its prey for a later meal; J'Spurr was ensnared, but even still he protected his sister in the powerful cage of his dragon mitt.

Heat seared my hand but didn't burn me, and my necklace transferred a power to me unlike anything I'd ever felt. It was old magic, refined and aged to a potency that momentarily made me drunk with it. _Kill the krak'ken!_ The faint whisper in my mind, came with a knowledge of exactly how to accomplish the feat.

Ghar'rett's attack couldn't differentiate his friends from his foes, but mine could. With my eyes closed, I focused on the image in my mind, of the gigantic creature beneath the water. I saw its gaping mouth, and the rows of teeth that would shred its prey as it devoured them. I focused on the monster beneath the surface, and unleashed the power. Jagged bolts of lightning shot from me—_through me—_racing to the monster holding my friends and the one I loved. Multiple forks of power found their targets, and tentacles were obliterated in an instant.

The brunt of the attack was directed below the surface, and with my eyes closed, I saw the destruction. The creature convulsed and jerked before it burst, exploding into fleshy chunks, teeth, and tentacles. Without a doubt, it was dead, and the tentacles fell into the water. Everyone was free, but they were all injured, bobbing in the water.

My wings fluttered weakly, keeping me in the air, but I was exhausted. I couldn't do a thing to save them. I saw the struggles of Ghar'rett, M, and J'Spurr, and I knew they'd all suffered broken wings and other crushing injuries. Ehd' Wyrd and Be'lah still had not surfaced. I knew she was a water elf and could hold her breath a long time, but I didn't know how seriously they'd been hurt. I felt the tears on my face, and didn't even have the strength to wipe them.

I heard a buzzing sound. It came from behind me, and quickly became a loud noise, like a chorus of swamp frogs during mating season. I saw them coming toward us, a buzzing, humming cloud of hundreds of small beings. They flew right up to me, and several regarded me face to face. They looked like a combination of bugs and tiny little people. Large black eyes, tiny pursed lips, on nose-less faces, stared at me. Wings beat so fast I couldn't see them, and tiny, arms and legs protruded from colorful androgynous bodies.

"Helpyou, we. Yes. Helpyou, wewill." Several spoke at once, but as if they shared one thought. Before I could respond, they darted away, swarming around the others. I couldn't believe that the fairies that were no bigger than my own hand, could lift a dragon the size of Ghar'rett. But in moments he floated free of the water, along with J'Spurr and M. I was even more surprised, when dozens of them disappeared below the surface of the water, and in seconds they had Ehd Wyrd and Be'lah out of the water, and hovering over the ocean.

They must have used magic; even with their numbers they couldn't have lifted them so easily. As I watched, they started to move them toward the mainland. I willed myself to follow, but I just didn't have the strength. I worried as they got further away. In the distance I saw them arrive at the mainland. I closed my eyes again. Once I knew they were at least momentarily safe, I felt even more drained as all of the tension left me.

The cold waves pushing against my crushed ankle woke me with pain, and I realized my wings had let me drop to the water. I didn't have the energy to fly. Even as I realized I was in danger, a wave washed over me, soaking my wings. I was in the ocean and I had no energy to even tread water. I weakly held my breath as another wave engulfed me, forcing me underwater for a moment. I knew it wouldn't take many more waves to drown me. Ironically I watched bits of the dead krak'ken float by. At least J'Spurr would live.

They came back for me, and the buzzing noise broke me out of what I thought were my dying memories of J'Spurr. I was lifted and carried by the tiny fairies, while others carefully dried my wings. Several fluttered along, just caressing my face, and cooing to me as they gazed into my eyes. It was oddly comforting.

They carried me to the shore of the mainland, and set me gently on the sand, some distance away from everyone else. There was a small group of them hovering around each of us. I was far enough away from the rest of my friends, I couldn't tell how they were doing. I wanted to move closer, but I was losing the battle to even keep my eyes open.

I screamed, suddenly awake and alert. Three of them had taken hold of my crushed ankle, and it felt like hot needles stabbing into me. Two more held my face and again their cooing calmed me. Little by little the pain eased, and I watched them as their tiny hands traced over my skin, and each touch brought a little bit of healing magic to me. They were mending my ankle, and as I glanced up the beach, I realized they were working to heal all of us.

"Why are you helping us?" I saw a ripple go through all of those I could see, like they were all attuned to what I'd asked.

"Helpyou princess sprytz musthelp." I waited for more of an answer, but they didn't go on. I tried to figure out what their answer meant, but I soon lost the battle with exhaustion, and fell deeply asleep.

**A/N: I'm not sure what my update schedule will look like, especially with how busy this time of year tends to be. I have these next two books planned out, and I can tell you I don't intend to abandon the story. I hope for weekly updates, but as you can see from this sequel, sometimes that doesn't happen. Thank you for reading, and I love to hear from you-good or bad. **


	2. Chapter 2 Royal Destiny

Chapter 2

Royal Destiny

I awoke surrounded by the little fairies—hundreds of them. I sat up feeling so refreshed, I worried I'd been asleep for days. Along with the numerous eyes on me, I realized that my ankle didn't hurt. As I tested the ankle, I noticed the slippers. It looked as if I'd traded in my traveling boots for fine dancing slippers. In fact, my whole ensemble had changed, and my long woven dress was now a short frock made of some gossamer fabric. It was beautiful, but it left me so inadequately covered it was indecent. My arms and legs were bared, and the fabric clung to my body in a way that revealed every aspect of my womanhood.

Most of my life, I'd sought to dress as plain as possible. Father made his living selling necessities out of a wagon, and we traveled a lot, visiting different villages on the island. I went along with him, and he always warned me not to draw attention to myself. Father was never afraid, but he was a small man, and he worried that he would be unable to defend me if I were attacked.

There was one terrifying occasion when I'd somehow attracted the interest of a large, but dull young man. He thought I should go with him, and I strenuously disagreed with him, in spite of his hand gripping my arm. From a minor mis-communication, it quickly escalated to a fight to keep him from taking me. He didn't seem to feel my kicks, hits, and bites, and I didn't think anyone could hear my cries for help.

My father heard. He arrived as the man tossed me over his shoulder, like a sack of grain. I didn't see what father did, but from my vantage point over the brute's shoulder, I observed we were surrounded by a thick fog that seemed to block out all sights, sounds, and even smells. The man dropped me and rubbed at his eyes, yelping about being struck blind. Father pulled me from the fog, and we loaded up the wagon and disappeared before the man could gather his wits and come after us. He later explained that he'd used a magical dust my mother had created.

We never really talked about it, but we both understood my mother had been a creature of magic. It terrified my father to know that I had some of her gifts. They were just little things that made people whisper behind my back, then sneak around to visit me when the sun went down. I could sometimes get visions of the future, and as I got older I used props, like cards, bones, and crystals, to make them believe the things I often just deduced. I didn't need to foretell the future to know that if a woman married the young bully in town, she would regret her decision.

When they said I was a witch, I didn't argue with them. I was afraid of what would happen to me if villagers believed I was just a normal young woman. I dressed plain, often in pants like my father. I kept my hair cut short, or tucked under a hat, and I never tried to make myself look appealing. I didn't need much imagination to know what would have happened if my father hadn't saved me from being carried off that day. I never would have worn a dress like the one I had on back home.

Then there was the decree, and all young women of a certain age and look were to present themselves for a chance to be sacrificed to a dragon. Many were captured and taken to the presentation ceremony, but they never came for me. It stunned me that so many volunteered. I was not one of them. Month after month, year after year, I was one of those who stared up at the sky, as one of three dragons circled the citadel, and carried off another young woman.

The sight of the dragons alone inspired fear, but it was compounded into terror when I first started to hear the voice in my head. It was a tiny whisper I only heard when my mind was at rest, so faint I couldn't even focus on it, telling me I too would be carried off by a dragon. On the month before I turned eighteen, my father sailed to the mainland for goods and supplies to sell. It was then I volunteered to be sacrificed. I heeded that voice, and believed that what I was doing was necessary—vitally important even.

When I met Be'lah, I knew I was right.

No one had ever told me the prophesy, but it was something I always knew. I knew when I met her, that Be'lah was the one who would make the land safe from dragons. She needed someone to guide her and show her what she herself did not know. She needed me.

I turned myself over to be sacrificed. She needed to read the prophesy, and I had to tell her everything about Plaht Island that she didn't know. I knew I had a role to play, but I never knew how everything would turn out in the end.

We became friends immediately. It was like I'd known her all my life, and we'd just been reunited. We spent long hours talking and she believed most of what I told her. I couldn't tell her about the prophesy, she had to read it for herself. I bought her time, so she could get away to the library, and read the prophesy for herself.

When I was chosen to feed the dragon, I was terrified, and I had no idea I would live through it. I didn't know there was so much connected to the prophesy, that had been kept hidden. Be'lah had made me a talisman, in hopes of making me inedible to the dragon. When the dragon snatched me from the ledge, I thought the talisman kept him from eating me, but all it did was make me notable. Instead of flying me to the mainland, and leaving me safely on the coast, as they'd done with the other girls, the dragon took me to its lair in the caves along the western cliffs of the island.

It was there I learned that the great silver beast that had taken me, was actually my cursed Prince J'Spurr. My mother likely knew about the curse, but this was a memory she chose not to share with me. She was right, as that knowledge would have changed the way I helped Be'lah. I often wonder if she knew that I would fall deeply in love with my prince. I hope she didn't have anything to do with the way my necklace repelled him.

My necklace was likely what kept him so far from me, as I looked past all the fairies gathered around me, and met his eyes. He was just hovering there, once again in his fairy form. I stood up, feeling self-conscious in the tiny dress. He tried to get closer to me, but the fairies surged toward him, with a collective buzzing that sounded like a swarm of angry bees.

"Stay away from him!" I could feel magic gathering, as if it were reacting to my emotional outburst. I had a brief image of obliterating the sea of fairies before they could touch J'Spurr. Instead, they froze obediently. A couple flew to me, and their tiny hands caressed my skin, and their soft humming calmed me.

"Protect-you we-will. Bad-enemy stay-back!" Even though they weren't pushing toward J'Spurr, they had put themselves between us.

"You don't have to protect me from J'Spurr—you don't have to protect me from anyone. Why do you think you need to protect me?"

One fairy separated from the rest, and fluttered up eye to eye with me. It was a little bigger than the rest, and seemed to take extra effort to speak in a way I could understand.

"Doddie—I am. Princess—you are. Serve you. Protect you. Help you. Our duty. For you—long wait." The fairy gave a good approximation of a smile.

"Doddie, why would you think I'm a princess?" I thought I had to have misunderstood.

"Princess—you _are_. Long-wait. Long wait. Here-now! Happy we!"

"They think you're a princess. Maybe they elevate all outsiders to royalty." Be'lah carefully stepped around and through the crowd of fairies. She moved with a willowy grace that reminded me of her grandmother, who was fully an elf.

"No-wrong!" Doddie immediately set her straight. "You _elf_. She _other._" The little sprite indicated Be'lah first, and then Rose—who actually _was_ a princess. Doddie then indicated M, Ghar'rett, Ehd Wyrd, and J'Spurr. "Dragon. Dragon. Other. Enemy."

"J'Spurr's not an enemy, and Rose and Ehd Wyrd are human."

"No-wrong. He-enemy most-foul. Human-not. Guardian-_human. _She-other. He-other."

"J'Spurr tried to save me; that should prove he's not my enemy." I wondered if they had seen his sacrificial efforts to save me.

"Enemy-trecherous. Lies-deceit." I blew out an exasperated breath at the stubborn claims of the fairy. I headed toward J'Spurr, and the fairies parted to let me pass. I stood beside him, and resisted the urge to touch him.

"Your necklace has been damaged." He didn't smile, and he crossed his arms over his chest when I reached for the glittering piece. He was right; one of the beads was now a dull brown. One of my mother's memories surfaced, and I realized that each of the beads contained a powerful spell. The necklace had destroyed the krak'ken, and that spell bead was now used up. There were eleven more beads on the necklace.

"I'm really sorry it doesn't like you, J'Spurr. I really do want to be able to touch you and be close. But if I hadn't been wearing it, we would probably all be dead now."

"You would still be alive—_they _would have saved you."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? I don't want to lose you." I reached out to touch his cheek, and felt the crackle of dangerous power around my hand.

"So, if we're all okay, and healed, where do we go from here?" Be'lah tried to distract him, as the others gathered around. They turned their eyes on me, as if I had all the answers. All I had were a few memory fragments from my mother. In the light of the attack by the krak'ken, I wondered how much was waiting for us that we just weren't prepared to face.

"We have to travel inland. I know the gateway is at the base of the mountains. It shouldn't be more than a few days journey if we walk."

"Why should we walk, when we can fly?" Of all the dragons, M looked most out of place as a human. He was a full head taller than Ghar'rett and Ehd Wyrd, and considering it was a magical aspect, it was because he _chose _to be so much bigger.

"The last time we flew, that monster almost took us out." I didn't expect Ghar'rett to be the voice of reason. "There are things here we don't understand. Maybe it would be better if we took it slow and steady, and didn't attract attention."

"You sound like you're afraid?" M clearly looked like he was ready to take on the krak'ken, and anything else that came his way.

"It's wisdom, not fear that advises caution. Do you not remember our realm, and how deadly it could be to attract attention? A gratch would just love to see your glittery black hide soaring across its skies. This may not be Dragon Home, but with so much magic in the air, I doubt it's safe."

M looked properly chastened. "You are right. I am so anxious to see our home again, I wasn't thinking clearly."

"So, we go inland?" Ehd Wyrd looked at me intently, reminding me so much of the dragon he had become. Even in his human form, he still had the same green eyes and fearsome intensity.

"Yes, inland." They let me lead, though in actuality, it was the fairies who lead, as I fluttered along in their midst. They didn't want to leave me alone, and I became used to the way they would touch my face, play in my hair, buzz by my ears, or alight on my shoulders. J'Spurr followed silently in their wake, with Ghar'rett at his side. The others paired up, with M and an ill Rose bringing up the rear.

It appeared we were walking through a virgin forest, with dense undergrowth, and tall trees. There wasn't a pathway to be seen, but as we walked through, the plants gave way, pulling back to allow us passage, as if they were afraid of being stepped on. The air was perfumed with a multitude of flowers, that seemed to grow from every plant. Likewise the trees and shrubs were overburdened with fruit. Blossoms and fruit often grew from the same tree, proving there was magic at work.

"Doddie, are these fruits safe to eat?" The little fairy never got far from me, and it flew to me as soon as I said its name.

"Safe-most. Eat not red. Trees anger."

"Are you trying to tell me, that eating the red fruit will upset the trees?" I'd no sooner asked my question, than several of the fairies snatched a red fruit from a tree. In an instant, the tree started to shriek, and several others nearby took up the alarm, until we all had to hold our hands over our ears. What surprised me even more was when they handed the fruit back, the branch reached out and took it, then cradled it like a baby, and the shrieking turned to a soft, soothing coo.

Without even having to ask, a group of the fairies gathered fruit, and gave it to us as we walked. M and Ghar'rett complained that it wasn't meat, and Rose looked like she would be sick if she even tasted the food, but the rest of us ate. To me it tasted like the best fruit I'd ever had in my life, which made me worry.

I warned everyone that they should limit how much they ate there. I wasn't sure if it would speed their acclimation to the magic if they ate what was grown in Fey, but it was possible. It didn't please anyone to know that they would likely be hungry until we left the place. J'Spurr more than anyone, looked like he was already starved.

"Palace this-way!" Doddie tried to steer me to the right, and I stopped.

"We're not going to the palace. We're going to the gateway. Is this where you leave us?"

"Gateway no. Palace yes. Princess Alyss palace-go!"

"I'm not your princess, and we're going to the gateway." I thought they might leave, but instead they came along as we held our course. By the end of the day, we were a tired and hungry bunch. As the sun set, we found a place where we could rest for the night. We set up three shifts for guard duty, and it was J'Spurr who suggested the dragons on guard duty should change back into their natural form. Dragons needed much less sleep, and they were quite good at guarding.

We settled down and watched twin moons cross the sky. Be'lah and Ehd Wyrd sat with their arms around one another, M cradled Rose against him, and Ghar'rett transformed to take the first watch. J'Spurr came and sat down near me, and looked at me with such longing it almost brought me to tears. The little fairies gathered around me, pushing him aside, and J'Spurr got up and walked away. It was a long time before I could close my eyes and fall asleep.

I woke up to the sound of snoring, and sun warming my cheek. I sat up, and realized the snoring was coming from Ghar'rett, sound asleep, and still in his dragon form. I was the first of our group awake, and I rushed to wake up Ehd Wyrd and Be'lah. Then I stopped and just stared. The sun had cast its glow on a castle, just over the hill from where we were. We were no longer in the woods, but in a field of flowers outside some kind of city.

"Wake up, everyone!" It took longer to rouse them than it should, which made me believe we'd been put under some kind of spell and transported away. All the fairies were conspicuously absent. J'Spurr was the first one fully awake, and he rushed to me, concern evident on his face. Then he too saw where we were.

"Those little troublemakers betrayed us! I knew we shouldn't have trusted them."

"They saved our lives, how could we not? Help me wake up everyone else."

Ghar'rett was ashamed he'd fallen asleep on watch, even after we explained that we'd likely been under a spell. He changed back to his human form, and went to help M with Rose. She was looking even worse than before, and as soon as she was fully awake, she stumbled away from us and vomited.

I was about to see if I could heal her, when we were confronted by a group of soldiers. They came at us so suddenly, I wondered if they'd somehow been invisible. The only thing that told me they were soldiers, was their uniform clothing. They were all fairies, but not like the little ones we'd met before. These were almost my size, wearing black leggings, boots, and heavy red tunics that were cut to allow their wings to be free. They rode what looked like giant, long-legged birds, and before they even greeted us, they drew their long, thin blades.

One of the soldiers came forward, and stared at me, even as J'Spurr tried to guard me. The bird he rode menaced J'Spurr, pecking at his head, and yanking at his hair. Without thinking, I cast a spell to protect him from the animal, and the soldier's jaw dropped.

"It _is _you! By the Earth Mother, I thought they were lying when they said the princess was here!" He smoothly dismounted and landed gracefully in front of me. He bowed low to the ground, even as J'Spurr stepped in front of me, clearly not trusting this tiny knight.

"Princess Alyss Merri, of the house, Brand'n, it is my honor to welcome you to your kingdom; your court awaits your presence." I was shocked. In the time it took me to shake myself back to reality, the bird riders surrounded us.

"We could change, and get everyone out of here." M's whisper didn't carry far, but the leader of the soldiers turned his way.

"I would not recommend changing into your dragon forms. You're too close to the castle, and her defenses will surely come into play—even if you are friends of the princess."

"I could still breathe on them..." J'Spurr didn't even try to whisper, and another soldier faced him with a sneer.

"Try it, usurper! Give me the opportunity to show you of what we are capable."

"No! No fighting—J'Spurr _please_. This isn't going to help us find what we're looking for." I wanted so much to hold him, and calm him. My words just made him glare at the soldier, then he turned and went to stand beside Ehd Wyrd.

"Please highness, we must take you to the palace; the queen awaits." The birds behind us started forward, and we had no choice but to move or risk being stepped on.

"If I'm supposed to be a princess, then who is the queen? I'm pretty sure my mother died years ago." I walked beside the leader, as he lead his bird with an ornamental rein.

"Oh, I forgot you couldn't know. The queen is your cousin, Jyss'ca. Truly she is second in line behind you, as her mother was much younger than yours. With you here now, perhaps we shall see a new queen crowned!" I didn't say a word. I didn't want to start another argument.

"What's your name?" He looked shocked at my question, then sputtered an answer.

"Please forgive me for the oversight—in all the excitement I forgot to give you my name. I am Mar'n Strong'oak, of the house Em'bree. I... I mean we... " He turned red, and it took him two more tries to finish what he was saying. "I... you are my intended. We are to be wed."

Several things happened at once. I stopped so abruptly, his bird almost stepped on me. As he was fighting to control the beast, J'Spurr snarled and charged him. Ehd Wyrd, M, and Ghar'rett immediately backed him up against the soldiers who moved to intercept J'Spurr. I heard the ring of their swords being drawn, followed by a yelp of pain. Be'lah cast a shield spell on our men, and Rose vomited.

"STOP!" My shout was still ringing in my ears, when I looked around and saw that everyone was frozen. I could still feel the power crackling in the air, and I knew immediately another bead of my necklace had been activated. I hurried and moved my friends, all but J'Spurr whom I could not touch. Instead I moved the soldiers nearest him. Ghar'rett had been pierced in the shoulder by one of the soldier's swords, but I'd stopped it before he could be run through.

When everyone began to move again, we were out of the attack zone, and none of the soldiers had swords. For a few precious seconds, everyone stood still, just staring at me.

"We're not going to fight—none of us." I shot a warning look at J'Spurr, who looked like he wanted to tear into Mar'n with his bare hands. I looked back at the fairy leader, and tried to be civil. "Listen, I don't know you, and I don't know where you came by your idea that we're going to be married. Ever since we crossed into this land, I've been told some things that are pretty difficult to believe. The sprites kidnapped us and brought us here. Now if you think we need to meet the queen, I'll go along with it, but only so far. _We, _are not to be wed—you can get that idea right out of your head. I'm in love with Prince J'Spurr, and you just don't stand a chance."

"Prince?" He looked at J'Spurr and then back at me. "Oh Alyss, you have no idea what you've done. You have always been destined to marry a prince, but it is _me, _not this pale imitation."

"You're being ridiculous! I can marry whoever I choose; the rules of this land don't apply to me, since I'm not from here."

"You _are _from here. _ No matter how far we roam, Fey always return home." _His words resonated in my mind, and I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness from my mother's memories. She'd been kept from returning home, and died in a strange land.

_ "You have carried me home, my child." _I heard her words in my mind, and Mar'n moved closer during my confusion. J'Spurr growled, as Mar'n reached out to touch my face. I expected him to be repelled as J'Spurr was, but instead his hand was warm against my cheek.

"You are my intended, Alyss Merri of Brend'n house. Even your necklace of rule recognizes me." He was close, and I really looked at his face for the first time. Straight nose, strong chin, sensuous lips, and eyes... his eyes were so big and dark they pulled me in. I found myself staring at those deep, brown eyes, like they held the secrets of the universe. Together we moved closer, and I knew any second he would kiss me, and I wanted that more than air.

J'Spurr's inarticulate snarl broke me out of my daze. M and Ghar'rett were holding him back, and it was taking all they had to keep him from breaking free, and breaking Mar'n into little pieces. I looked up at Mar'n, feeling the unnatural hunger in his gaze. I tried to deny that I felt it too, but I could tell he knew. I raised my knee into his crotch—hard.

"Keep your hands off me! I don't know what kind of magic this is, but where I come from, a man does not simply claim a woman and take her against her will!" Mar'n did his best to hide the pain he felt, but more than that, I saw the confusion on his beautiful face.

J'Spurr stood up straight and shook off his friends. It was clear my demonstration had proved that I was his, and no fairy interloper would steal me away—not even if he was beautiful, with fathomless brown eyes, soft wavy hair, and a scent that reminded me of home. I fought not to look at Mar'n, as we resumed our trek to the castle.

We passed through a city more beautiful than anything I'd ever imagined, and as we went the crowds of fairy folk parted. We all stared at the sights around us, marveling at what had to be created by magic. Houses floated in mid-air, with gardens beneath them. Other homes crowded into enormous trees, nestled among branches as if they were one. The air was filled with music, the tinkling of bells, and haunting singing. I could smell a myriad of scents in the air, from sweet pastries to perfumed flowers. The fairy folk dressed in the brightest colors, which included their hair and wings. I saw colors I'd never seen before, except in flowers.

Mar'n and his guards pulled us to the side of the street, as what looked like an army came toward us. As we watched in awe, a platoon of ogres marched past, their armor clanking, and their spears pointed toward the sky. When they'd gone by, we resumed our heading.

"My apologies, Princess. The ogres don't believe in giving way to royalty. No disrespect is intended, they just believe the right of way goes to the most powerful. We could prove them wrong, but a fight in the city streets could injure the innocent."

"Are ogre's fairies too? I thought only Fey could live in this land."

"They are Fey, not fairies. There are many here thought to be monstrous in your old world. Trolls, ogres, goblins... there are several different races, but you won't find many in the city." Even as he spoke of the city, the road ended at a gate.

The gatekeeper glanced at him, and with a wave of his hand, the intricately wrought gate, made of some shining metal, opened. We were escorted across a courtyard, where several stopped to ogle us. As we approached the front doors of the palace, two young pages ran ahead to announce us. The doors to the palace were easily big enough to allow a dragon admittance, and they opened wide on silent hinges at our approach.

Mar'n and the other soldiers dismounted from their birds, and several squires appeared to take the reins and lead them away. He took my hand and placed it on his arm, in a way that was more decorous than forward, and lead us through the doors. J'Spurr was close behind us, and I could feel his eyes staring at where my hand touched Mar'n's arm.

We marched down a wide carpet of red, through a court packed with decorated fairies, each of them staring at us, and gossiping behind their hands. When we stopped, we were several yards away from the throne, floating several feet off the ground.

The queen didn't look like any queen I'd ever seen or imagined. She lacked May's royal bearing and dignity, and even Princess Tahn'ya back home had possessed more dignity than this girl showed. She laid across the throne, with her head on one arm, and her long, bare legs over the other. She was munching on some kind of fruit, and spitting seeds at a tiny sprite with a gold bowl, who fought to catch every one. We waited, as she amused herself, obviously ignoring us.

She was making me angry, since we'd been dragged away from our goal, likely at her whim. I felt the magic gathering around me, as I imagined setting her curly brown hair on fire.

"Better watch that temper, dear Alyss. Attacking the reigning queen will get you a death sentence, no matter who you are." She swung her legs around and sat up to face us, then she floated down from the throne. Her dress was so short, it left precious little to the imagination. I thought a bathing towel would cover more.

"So... my dear cousin has finally made her arrival." She smiled wide, and took my hands in hers. "I suppose we should commence with the planning. First there will be a betrothal party, and then there will be the wedding... then when you return from your retreat, we can begin preparing for your coronation... there will be food to order... musicians to select... dresses to be made... "

"No!" I interrupted her rambling speech. "I won't have any of that. I'm not here to get married, and I'm not here to rule. I'm not staying."

"Of course you are, dear. It's your destiny. Oh, your mother would be so proud! She and my mother never got along, but I'm sure we will be great friends. I love the way you wear your hair loose, and there's something so endearingly simple about unpainted nails. We'll have to find you some royal attendants, and I'm sure you'll just love your rooms—we'll have your things taken up immediately. Where are your things? Oh, never mind, we'll replace them with what you'll need here..."

I'd never seen anyone who could talk so ceaselessly. She went on about dress makers, hair dressers, and plans that would never include me.

"Queen Jyss'ca!" Mar'n's strong voice cut across her prattle, and she finally looked our way. "They've come a long way, and they need to rest. One is ill, and one is injured, and as you can see, there is a problem we didn't expect to encounter." She stepped past me, suddenly taking an interest in the rest of our group. Princess Rose looked worse than ever, leaning against M, as he held her up. Be'lah and Ehd Wyrd held hands, and Ghar'rett brushed dried blood from his clothes. But it was J'Spurr she seemed to focus on, as he stood as close to me as he could, wings fluttering.

"You're right, Mar'n." She stepped back several feet, and raised her voice. "Guards, arrest him!"

A fight broke out, and the guards suddenly faced three dragons, and a sorceress. J'Spurr didn't change, as he was so quickly caught in some kind of magical chains. The queen rushed to her throne, and placed the crown on her head. With a single word, the dragons again returned to their man forms, and they were frozen, just as I had frozen the soldiers earlier.

"Now see what you've made me do! It'll never be as beautiful, with a brown gem in place of the blue! Guards, take them away—_all _of them! Put them in separate cells—yes, even Princess Alyss, no, not Prince Mar'n. I can't deal with this right now!" She turned and flounced from the room, as the guards chained us.

It didn't take us long to figure out the chains negated our magical abilities, and kept the dragons in their human forms. We were lead by a what seemed to be a small army, down a curving stone staircase. Two of the guards had to carry Rose, as M had his hands manacled behind his back. Even in chains, he managed to hurt a few of the guards, when he slammed them into the stone wall, and pushed them down the stairs.

Even though he put up a fight, we still found ourselves deep underground, and locked into damp, musty, cells. The guards who carried Princess Rose, looked reluctant to put her down on the cold, stone floor. One of them waved his fingers, and a soft pallet appeared, and he placed her there, before covering her up. Then they left us there in the dark.


	3. Chapter 3 Destiny's Pawn

Chapter 3

Destiny's Pawn

"Rose? Are you okay my love?" M's plaintive question went unanswered in the dark dungeon. A tiny ball of light flared in Be'lah's cell, then floated into the hallway beside Rose's pallet.

"It's the first tier spell all wizards learn first. I'm sorry, but it's all the magic I can muster in here. Is she okay?" We all strained our eyes to see into the tiny cell. She was still on the pallet, and from where I was, all I could see was her cascade of long, blond hair, pooling on the floor. J'Spurr and Ghar'rett were in the cells on either side of hers. I was on the other side of the hallway, with M beside me, and Be'lah beside him.

Her hair... there was something about it that teased at my mind. I sat down on the floor to think. It felt like hours, as we occasionally threw out ideas for escape, or worried aloud what would happen to us.

"Yellow-hair sick-very." The flat voice of the sprite startled me. I looked around and I was surrounded by about a dozen of them. "Poor-Princess. Sad-we." Doddie perched on my shoulder, and stroked my cheek. I shook him free, and he fluttered away.

"Look what you've done! Why couldn't you just leave us alone? You made me think you were my friends, and you tricked us."

"Sorry-we. Queens-orders. Princess-bring.

"Why won't you listen to me, if I'm supposed to be the queen?"

"Queen-not-yet. Sprites-queen-follow. Queen-Alyss-someday. King-Mar'n-someday."

"No. I'm not going to marry Prince Mar'n. I love Prince J'Spurr."

"Never-wrong-destiny. King-Mar'n. Queen-Alyss." Arguing with the tiny creature made me feel like banging my head against the bars.

"Can you get us out of here?"

"Yes."

"Then what are you waiting for?" I felt a little bit of excitement as I thought of escaping.

"Orders-Queen. Free-then."

"Doddie, Princess Rose is very sick. If we stay in here, it could be very bad for her. Do you want to be responsible if something bad happens to her?" He looked up at me with his shiny black eyes, then he fluttered through the bars and crossed the hall. Minutes later he returned.

"Yellow-hair-sick. Babe-well."

"What? What does that mean, Doddie?"

"Babe-tiny. Strong. Many-moons-to-see."

"Alyss? Is that little bug saying what I think it's saying?" M sounded shocked from the cell at the end of the row.

J'Spurr charged the bars, and shook them ineffectually. "It says you've impregnated my sister, you fire-breathing fool!" J'Spurr looked more angry than I'd ever seen him. "You've brought shame on Rose and our whole family! The least you could do was marry her first!"

"There is no need for marriage—she is mine."

"You better hope I don't get my hands on you! I don't care how big you are. You can't treat my sister like a common harlot!"

"J'Spurr, calm down." Ehd Wyrd was at the end of the hall. "This is the last thing we need to be worried about now. We can't turn on each other—that's what they want."

"But Rose... he..."

"He loves her, you know that. As soon as we get back home, they can get married." Ehd Wyrd was a calm counter-point to J'Spurr's rage. I couldn't help but believe J'Spurr was upset by more than Rose's pregnancy.

"There is no need for marriage." M's deep voice cut through the darkness. Dragons do not marry, they mate. She is my mate. She carries my child." I could swear I heard him laugh. "I had wondered how she would lay an egg."

"Rose isn't a dragon; she's a human. Humans get married, unless they're common har..."

"J'Spurr don't say that about your sister!" I cut him off. "No one will question Princess Rose. M won't leave her, you know dragons mate for life."

"_I _know that. I was just beginning to think _you'd_ forgotten it. First some fairy prince tries to steal away my beloved, and then I find out my sister is going to have a baby. Why can't we just find the stupid portal and get back home?"

A light seeped under the door to the cells, and I was blinded when it swung open. Prince Mar'n came to my cell, his own glow ball dwarfing Be'lah's in comparison.

"We need to talk. I have permission to let you out of the cell, if you promise not to try to leave or do anything sneaky." I made the promise, and he opened the cell door. I thought he would let my friends out too, but instead he took my hand.

"Just you, Princess. The others will have to wait for the queen's pleasure."

"I can't just leave them here in the cold and dark."

"If you come with me, I'll see to it that they're given blankets, light, food and water. I'll see to their comforts as best I can."

"Alyss, don't go with him!" J'Spurr fought the bars as I turned away and went with Mar'n. He lead me back up the steps, and true to his word, he stopped to speak with one of the guards. He gave orders for them to see to the comfort of my friends, then he lead me through the palace to a private sitting room.

"Can I get you anything? You must be hungry. I can have something brought in..."

"What do you want to talk about, Mar'n?" He sat across from me, and kept trying to meet my eyes. I studied the room, noting the ornate glass in the windows, the lacy carving of the table and chairs, and the delicate weaving of the tapestries on the walls.

"Please don't be so cold to me. I understand how difficult this must be for you."

"You brought us here and had us locked in the dungeon! That goes beyond difficult, that's downright insane!"

"I'm sorry... this wasn't part of the plan. I didn't know the queen would be so unreasonable. I didn't know you'd already be in love with someone else. I didn't know that what I'd been looking forward to all my life, would so disgust you."

"How could you have been looking forward to this all your life? You don't even _know _me! We just met. All you know is my name—this is ridiculous!"

"You're my destiny." I looked at him then, and felt he truly believed what he said. "When you were born, I suddenly felt I wasn't alone anymore. I've been waiting for you to come home for eighteen years."

"But I don't feel the same way about you—I love J'Spurr." He moved quick, circling the table and sitting beside me. He took my hands in his and gazed into my eyes.

"Do you really love him? Does he make you feel as if you belong with him?" His fingers sifted through my hair, and he moved closer. "I know we have a connection, Alyss, I can feel it like the beating of my heart. I know you feel it too." His fathomless brown eyes drew me in, and I just stared at him. He was beautiful, and I held my breath, knowing he would kiss me.

For just an instant I saw J'Spurr's face, and I leaped up in alarm. "No! I don't know what kind of magic this is, but I don't want any part of it! If you brought me up here just so you could try to seduce me, then you can take me right back down and lock me up." He just sat there, looking defeated and rejected.

"That's not why I wanted to talk to you." He sighed loudly and looked up at me. "Alyss, what do you know about fairies?"

"Are you kidding me? I am one now, so... wings, small stature, magic..."

"No, I mean what can you tell me from what you've heard in your world? What do you think of when you hear the word _fairy?"_

"Not much. There are no fairies in my world—at least none that I know about."

"They're there, trust me. But what comes to mind when you hear the word?"

"Well, we have fairy tales that we tell children. In those stories, the fairies are always little, with lots of magic, and... they give curses, and gifts, and they always fly, and dance in circles... they're temperamental, easily offended, flighty... they grant wishes..."

"They're not the most reliable folks, are they?" He smiled, and I caught my breath at the beauty of his smile. _J'Spurr, just think about J'Spurr and his beautiful smile. _

"No."

"Well, your ideas of fairies are not too far away from reality. A few thousand years ago, all fairies were just like that—flighty, dim, carefree, superficial, and childlike. Our fairy home was near the mountains of magic, though there was not a city to be seen. Fairies lived among the trees, gamboled through the rocks, and played in fields of flowers. They had not a thought in their heads beyond what to wear, and who would dance with them. They used magic with childlike glee, and thought nothing of killing one another with magic. The concept of death didn't penetrate their heads.

_ "_There is a gateway in the mountains, and it leads to the dragon realm. Occasionally dragons would come through the gate, and eat the fairies foolish enough to show themselves. Sometimes these massacres would take hundreds of lives. But the fairies did nothing to change this. They still chose to live close to the gateway, and they still chose to live in the open instead of a fortified city.

But then a traveler came back home, and showed us a new way. He had been gone for centuries, and seen different countries and different realms. He was no longer flighty and foolish, and he was appalled that fairies had not learned any better than to become a snack for dragons. He did his best to convince the reigning queen of our folly, but she refused to listen.

"Then another dragon came through, and this traveler, this _prophet, _attacked the dragon with powerful magic. The dragon didn't eat even one fairy before it was forced back through the gateway. The traveler became a hero to the people, and the nemesis to the queen. Two more dragons came through, and he met them with a small army of resistance, and again they were driven back. The queen saw that he was gaining in power and influence, and she banished him. Not only that, but she banished all those who followed him and his teachings-nearly half the kingdom. To make certain that he never returned to the mountains of magic, she set him and his followers apart, giving them brown eyes and dark hair..."

"That's it! Blondes! Rose, Ghar'rett, and J'Spurr are all blond, and I haven't seen a single light hair color since we arrived. It's been making me crazy why everyone seems to hate J'Spurr on sight. Are the other fairies blond?"

He sighed again. "Some. But there are none with dark hair and eyes, except those who broke away. Alyss, we've been at war with these fairies for hundreds of years. Imagine my horror when I saw you with our enemy—a prince no less."

"But J'Spurr isn't a fairy, that's only a magical form he's taken. He was born human, and cursed into becoming a dragon. He only chose to appear as a fairy for me. He loves me, and he wanted to be more like me."

"Maybe that was true in your world. But here, he _is _a fairy. Magic is strong here, and we learn to bend it and mold it to our desires. If he wanted to be a fairy because he loved you, then... it's possible he has indeed changed. I can sense the differences in all your friends, but from him, it's just a strong aversion to my natural born enemy—the fair fairies."

"That's ridiculous, he can change back into a dragon, and he can become human too. He could even change his hair color if it's that offensive to you. Dragons are magical, and what he looks like is a choice."

"I know you believe this to be true, but I think you're wrong. He is my enemy, not because he has fair hair, but because he loves the woman I am destined to marry."

"Will you stop taking about destiny. I—_we_ have free will. The only destiny I have, is the one I choose for myself. My life story has not been written yet, and I am not going to follow some stupid plan you dreamed up!"

"I didn't dream this up. It is _written!_ Like your prophesies and foretellings, I have a destiny to fulfill, and you are ruining it!" He was on his feet, shouting in his anger. "You don't know what you're messing with Alyss. There is a precarious balance at work here, and if you upset it, bad things will happen. We _will_ be wed, you _are_ my destiny, and it does not matter what we want. Royals do not get to choose love; they marry for duty, they marry for peace, and they put aside childish notions of foolish infatuation!"

"No!" I stood and glared at him, feeling the magical energy swirling around me. I wanted to blast that superior look right off his beautiful face. I wanted to knock his lithe, graceful body into the wall. It took a lot of effort to control the impulse. "This is not my world. I don't care about your stupid destiny, and I'm not going to be used as some royal bargaining chip. If you want to join your house with another, then marry the queen!"

"Don't you understand? I can't marry another. It's you, Alyss. Any other will upset the balance of our world." He was calm again, but I was more confused than ever. "Wait here, I'll be right back." He flew away on gold tinted wings, and when he returned he held a scroll tube. He unrolled the delicate parchment and spread it on the table before us.

"For as far back as the curse, our lineage has been mapped out and ordained." He pointed to what looked like an enormous family tree. "Here are my mother and father, and here are your parents..." It surprised me to see Ny'a's full name written down, and he also had my father's name as well. My name was written under theirs, in writing that looked ancient. "It is written that we would be joined, and our children..."

"Stop—_please._ I can see why you believe this. But I just can't..." I looked into his eyes, and wiped tears from my own. "...I love him. I can't deny that."

"But you would deny our children? Look at it, Alyss, our babies will never be born if you deny me. Do you want to know what it says about our children? Do you even care about what great things they will do? Peace Alyss—our children usher in a new era of peace. We've been at war ever since we were banished, and our children will put an end to it. Can you ignore all the lives at risk if you walk away?"

He slid his hand into my hair and pulled me close. I was overwhelmed with thoughts of our children, and peace, and I didn't fight him. He kissed me, and I relaxed in his arms. He smelled so good—of all the things to notice—that stood out. I felt like I belonged there in his arms, like it was destiny. He pulled me closer, as his hand moved over my back, and his fingers sifted through my hair. I was still wearing the dress the little fairies had clothed me in, and he touched my bare arms. Impulsively I ran my fingers through his loose curls, marveling at the softness.

I couldn't think. I couldn't even remember what J'Spurr looked like. My life began and ended with Mar'n's kiss. I wanted to drink him in, and taste him on my tongue. Then there was his tongue, teasing against my mouth—yes! I kissed him, deeply, drunkenly, savoring his taste, his feel, his sweetness. I held him tight against me, stroked his back, and delicately caressed his wings, while I feasted on his mouth. I was destiny's pawn, and I drowned in the delight of his overwhelming kiss.

There was a squeal, and a crash that tore us apart. A small blond fairy hovered in the doorway to the room, with a tray balanced on one hand, as she hurriedly tried to clean up the glass that had tumbled from the tray.

"So sorry..._ master._" She looked at me, and I could feel the magic flowing to her, as if she would strike me dead where I sat. I suddenly understood how the queen had known I wanted to attack her. It felt like water flowing to her will, and I pulled away from Mar'n so I might defend myself if necessary.

"What are you doing here, Bree? I didn't send for you." He sounded angry.

"I merely came to provide Master with refreshment. It was not my intention to intrude." Her chin came up, in spite of calling him Master. I knew she was lying; she had absolutely intended to intrude.

"Put the tray down and leave us." He didn't look at her; instead he stared at the ornate glass in the window. She glanced at the scrolls as she set the tray on top of the parchment, then tossed her blond locks as she straightened. She looked at me with hate-filled blue eyes, then retreated through the door.

"Who is she, Mar'n? Why did she call you Master?" With a heavy sigh, he took his seat across from me.

"Her name is Bree, and she's one of our enemies. Two years ago she was captured outside the castle walls, spying. She surrendered and she was thrown into the dungeons. When I found her there she was almost dead. I went to the queen and asked why she was being treated so poorly, and I was told that rotting away in the dungeon was exactly what a spy deserved. I argued with the queen. I told her we should be the ones to rise above such cruelty, not sink to such despicable depths." He leaned forward and his hands rubbed over his face.

"The queen gave her to me."

"She's a slave?" I couldn't keep the horror out of my voice.

"Technically... she can't leave or go home. The queen bound her to me; she thought it would teach me a lesson. I've never mistreated her, and I don't ask her to call me master—she does that when she's upset. You have to understand, I was trying to save her life."

"What I understand, is that if she would let that girl rot in the dungeons, she could do so much worse to J'Spurr and my friends." J'Spurr. I remembered, and felt suddenly flushed. I loved J'Spurr, but I'd kissed Mar'n—what was I thinking? "What kind of magic is at work here? When you kissed me, I felt..."

"I know, I felt it too. If she hadn't interrupted us..."

"No. This isn't going to happen."

"It _has _to happen, Alyss. I'll do whatever it takes to have peace in the realm. Our children..." He pointed at the parchment, but the tray was sitting on it. He quickly snatched it up, and set it on the floor. Something on the bottom of the tray had stained the scroll, and there was a dark line between our names. He tried to dab at it with a napkin, but it was already dry. He rolled the scroll up and tucked it into the tube.

"If you agree to marry me, I'll make sure your friends are set free. I'll make sure they get an escort to the Mountains of Magic if you like. You will be crowned queen shortly after we're wed, and you can make whatever treaty you want with the fair race. You want to negotiate a pathway through our realm to get the dragons home, you'll fare much better as queen."

He came to me and took my hand; falling to one knee he gazed into my eyes. "Will you marry me, Alyss Merri? Say yes, and I will make it my lifelong goal to see you happy." I could feel the magical attraction to him, and part of me wanted to accept his proposal. But I remembered my J'Spurr, down on one knee, asking the very same question. I'd already told him yes. He already held my heart. I looked down at the beautiful, sincere prince, and wiped the tears that had sprung to my eyes.

"No. I can't." He kissed my hand and stood.

"I wish it could be different. I fear the land will suffer because of this."

"Because of some _destiny _written down on some old scroll? That doesn't make any sense!"

"The prophet wrote those scrolls. He alone knew what it would take to strengthen our race. There is a delicate balance that exists in this realm—between the fair and the dark, the good and the bad, and the monstrous and magical. For as far back as the scrolls were written, no one has defied them."

"You find that comforting, but to me it sounds horrible. All those people married just because someone wrote their names on a scroll, whether they were loved or not."

"But they _were _loved—every one! It would indeed be cruel to subject so many to a loveless union. But there is magic at work here, as we have already seen. There is magic in the vows of marriage. If we marry, Alyss, I will indeed love you." He laughed softly. "It is said that no magic can make someone fall in love, but the magic of Fey is more powerful than any other. The moment you say your vows, you will love me above all others."

I didn't know what to say. I'd seen some powerful magic stored in my own necklace, and I didn't doubt what he said was true. It scared me to think that I could be compelled to forget J'Spurr and fall in love with Mar'n.

"Is that all you wanted to talk to me about? Prophesy, destiny, balance, mind-controlling magic, and of course the children I'm never going to have—I've heard it all now, right?"

"Alyss please, it's not as bad as all that."

"I'd like to go back down to my cell if you don't mind." I stood up and waited for him to lead the way. He looked defeated as he guided me through the hallways and back to the stone staircase.

"I hope you'll reconsider my offer. Your cousin the queen is only in power until you take the throne away from her. She's not going to give it up easily, she likes being the one in control. In order for you to take your rightful place, you have to marry me—as it is written. You've put yourself in a very vulnerable position. If she decides you and your friends are traitors to the realm... it could be very bad for you. She can't kill you, but your friends are at her mercy." I didn't respond to his attempts to sway me, and he finally opened the door with a sigh.

The guards greeted him, and he called up his light sphere as we went down the steps. Once again in the dungeon, I saw that my friends all had blankets, food and water. Rose was still lying down, and J'Spurr peered out through the bars as soon as we stepped through the lower door.

"Be'lah, J'Spurr, is seen as some kind of enemy fairy prince here." My words to my friend had Mar'n's attention as well as hers. "Everyone here has dark hair, and blondes are considered their enemies. They're in danger if they stay here, you have to get them out of here!" I took hold of my necklace, hoping for something to happen—_anything. _With a bright flash of light, the doors all sprang open—they were free!

"Alyss, you _promised!"_ Mar'n looked at me in shock and disappointment.

"I promised I wouldn't try to escape or try anything sneaky. I'm not escaping, and you heard everything I said. Be'lah, get them out of here, go on without me. J'Spurr, take your sister and get her out of here!"

"I'll take Rose." M stepped out of his cell and rushed to hers. He picked her up like she was a baby, then headed for the staircase.

"I can't let you leave!" Mar'n waved his hand, and the door slammed shut.

"You can't stop us." Ghar'rett smiled, then transformed into a dragon. He wasn't his normal size, or he would have been crushed in the hallway, but he was much bigger than Mar'n. He breathed a powerful bolt of lightning at the door, and it became a pile of smoking ash. M leaped onto his back, still holding Rose, and Ghar'rett headed up the staircase. Ehd Wyrd and Be'lah joined hands and followed after them. J'Spurr fluttered to me on silver fairy wings.

"Come with us, Alyss, you don't have to honor any promises you made to him."

"Yes I do—I can't explain it. But I do have to keep my promise. Go. You're the one in the most danger if you stay. Go to the base of the mountains—Be'lah should be able to find the gate. I'll get there as soon as I can. I love you, J'Spurr."

"I love you too." He gazed at me for a few moments longer, each of us wanting to hold one another. Then he flew away. I heard the commotion at the top of the steps, but no one came back down. I waited for quite a while, listening for screaming or shouts of alarm, but it was quiet. I had a sudden feeling that they had made it out—I was certain of it in fact.

"Why did you let them go, Mar'n? I know you could have stopped them—even Ghar'rett."

"I was unconscious." He smiled at me. "At least that's what I'll tell anyone who asks. The elf could still cast magic, she might have done something." He walked over and closed my cell door, locking me inside. "You kept your word. That matters more to me than keeping your friends here under the queen's thumb. If anyone had raised an alarm, the castle has magical ways to defend itself. Everything I might have done would have been bad for your friends."

"I thought you wanted to get rid of my friends—J'Spurr in particular."

"Maybe I do, but I wouldn't want to see any of them dead, including your Prince J'Spurr. I don't want you to hate me, Alyss. Letting them escape means I have you all to myself now."

"Until the queen has me executed for crimes against the realm."

"That's not going to happen!"

"Because she's such a reasonable person?" I couldn't keep the disbelief out of my voice.

"No, because to kill you would be against our laws. I know you think it's silly to follow some plan laid out for us by one traveler, but it has worked for us for thousands of years. Our race is stronger, our people are safer, and it's because we all respect those laws and his plan."

I knew he had more to say on the matter, but I didn't want to hear it. I stepped away from the bars, and retreated to the far corner of my cell. I sat down on the floor, drew my knees up, and with my head against my arms, I cried. I felt even worse than when I was back home, and knew I was to be the next sacrifice. I wasn't going to die this time, but I was just as much alone.

"Don't cry, Alyss." His voice faded as I pressed my hands over my ears. I didn't want to hear his praise of his prophet's plan for my destiny, and I certainly didn't want to hear his concern that I was crying.

"Go away Mar'n, I don't want to listen to anything you have to say." I closed my eyes and ignored him. It was much later when I looked up and he was gone. I was alone—completely. I curled up on the floor and cried myself to sleep.

I was awakened by the sound of the cell door opening. Even before I stood, I was in chains. The guards lead me up the stone stairway, and I was glad to see the door at the top had been torn apart. I wasn't taken to a cozy sitting room, but was lead back to the throne room, where the queen and her court waited. She didn't look nearly as relaxed and carefree as before.

"You know, I'd hoped we might be friends. I so wanted you to be more _fun! _But instead all you're giving me are headaches, and I don't like pain. You helped them escape, and now I have to double up the guards around the palace. Do you know how annoying it is to have so many men underfoot? You haven't even been here two days, and I already regret inviting you."

"You didn't invite me, you kidnapped us. You stole us away from our mission, and you threw us into the dungeon!."

"Those are just details." She waved away my words. "I wanted you here, so we could celebrate your return. I had so many parties planned, and receptions and dances—why did you have to ruin all that? You're being so _difficult!_ I just wanted you to be nice, so I wouldn't feel bad when I had to turn over the throne to you. But then you had to deny your destiny, and bring in those awful fair ones, and insist you even _loved _one of them." She shuddered. "And now you've helped them escape, and I have to wonder where your loyalty lies. _We're _your own kind, Alyss. I need to be able to trust that you won't betray us to our enemies. I can't keep you locked up, and I certainly can't kill you." She smiled in delight as she said it, and I was certain she'd imagined killing me.

"No. I have decided how I must handle your confused allegiances. You're going to marry Prince Mar'n. Once you two are wed, I'm sure your dalliance with the fair one will be forgotten, and you'll know where your loyalties belong."

"You can't force me to marry him!"

"Oh, but I can! I am your queen, and even if you don't believe you're one of us, that doesn't change the fact. I can command any of my subjects, and that includes you. In two weeks time, we will have a wonderful wedding, with music, and flowers, and an extensive guest list, and you will wear the most beautiful gown... and then you'll say your vows." She gave a dreamy sigh. "Yes... this I do decree."

I felt power flow from her as she said the words, as if they were a spell cast over my life. I suddenly understood how the fairies in all those children's tales had managed to fulfill wishes, bestow curses, and blessings, and grant special favors. The magic obeyed them like no other, because their minds were so simple and uncomplicated. She couldn't grasp the magnitude of what she'd done to me, because to her it was just the easiest way to solve her problem.

The chains fell away from me, and clanked onto the floor. "You're free as long as you don't leave the castle or the gardens. Your magic of course will be limited to the simplest spells, until after the wedding. I'm giving you a suite of rooms in the same wing where Prince Mar'n resides. I"m sure I can trust you not to embarrass yourself with him." She giggled at that, and when she turned toward her court, they too giggled. "It's so good to have you home, Alyss!"


	4. Chapter 4 Enemy Territory

Chapter 4

Enemy Territory

We ran. I don't think I'll ever be able to live with myself for running away and leaving her behind. I was a fool to leave! I should have stayed and fought for her. I know we didn't stand a chance, but far better to die trying to save her, than live without her. I still don't know why she stayed. It hurt, and I had time to think as we traveled away from the castle. Did he turn her from me? Was she caught by some magical spell? Was she only pretending to love me? No! I refused to believe that. She loved me, I knew it.

I was human long enough to know the capricious interest of several young women. I knew the game of budding flirtation and courtship, and I knew most of that interest hinged on my title, and the dream of one day being part of a royal court. We toyed with one another in a make-believe dance of love and admiration. They waited for an offer of forever, and I waited for some sign that it was only me, and not my title. I was continually disappointed, as were they.

After the curse, there was a hundred years of near solitude, with only my family and M for company. I tried not to think about my lost humanity, but there was a lot of time, and I dreamed of my perfect companion. I created her in my mind—the perfect woman. Little did I care what she would look like, but it was her heart and spirit that made me dream. She would be playful, unusual, loyal, noble, insightful, entertaining, quick-witted, and honest. She would be a good friend, a great listener, and have a forgiving heart. She wouldn't take herself too seriously, and she wouldn't be intimidated by me. She would laugh like music, and smile like the sun, and grace would be her hand-maiden.

I knew her in an instant.

The poor thing clung to the ledge of the tower, terrified I would kill her or eat her live—it's what dragons were known to do. I wished for a less monstrous aspect to present her as I plucked her from her perch. Her scream tore at me, even as I flew away with my prize.

I normally would have flown her to the mainland, but I was headed for the island cliffs, even before I realized she carried some kind of horrid magical talisman. She made me laugh even then. She was trying to keep from being eaten, and that was the furthest thought from my mind. Of all the young women I'd scooped from that ledge over the years, she was the only one I never wanted to put down.

Of course the talisman was what interested my family, especially when she calmed down enough to tell my mother and sister about the young sorceress who made it for her. It meant the prophesy was at hand, and the curse might soon be broken. I felt that fate was finally on our side, for not only had we been given a sign that our curse could finally be lifted, but the messenger was an enchanting girl, who gave me a reason to wish to be human again.

For the first few days she was with us, I of course watched over her to make sure she didn't try to escape. I couldn't fathom why she would stay with us in our underground exile. But not even one day later, I heard her laughing with my mother and sister. _Laughter!_ Such sounds had been missing from our existence for so long, I'd forgotten all but the subdued sound of amusement dragons made. Rose was not prone to laughter, and my mother's laugh was soft and reserved. But Alyss laughed without reservation, and the sound echoed through the caverns.

I confess, I started to look for ways to make her laugh. I flew through the large cavern, performing aerial stunts for her pleasure. I sneaked along behind her when she went exploring. Her racing heart told me how nervous she was when she would turn to find me there, but her laughter made me glad I'd followed her. I also tormented Ehd Wyrd several times in her presence, pushing him into the river that ran through the main cavern, or nipping his tail as he napped. I tried the same tactics with M, but the big dragon tore after me in a way that made me fear for my very life. Still, her uncontrolled laughter made it worth the risk.

M quickly realized I was smitten. His teasing never ceased, and he rudely pointed out the folly of a dragon pairing with a human girl. He would remind me of all the horrors that could happen if I went through even one human courtship ritual. Holding her hand could crush the limb, tucking her arm in mine could leave her dangling in mid-air, and kissing her—M teased that I would likely swallow her whole! He even went on to surmise what would happen to her if we went beyond kissing. It was then he had to run from _me _as I intended to trounce him good!

His teasing came to an end when she learned our speech patterns. The speech came naturally to me as part of the curse. She had to learn it the hard way, by listening and asking questions. She learned it faster than my mother and sister had, and I was stunned at this evidence of her intelligence. She was obviously more than just a pretty girl.

She was a beautiful young woman, for sure. Her grace sometimes made me stop and stare, and I longed to be human again so I could dance with her—I had always hated dancing! Her smile lit up the darkness of the caverns, her eyes sparkled even in the gloom. Her lovely, dark hair reminded me of my favorite stallion, after his mane and coat were clean and brushed. I wished for hands and fingers to comb through its softness. She completely enthralled me.

When Ehd Wyrd brought Be'lah to the caverns, I began to hope like never before that the curse would soon be broken. If not for that hope, then I never would have flirted with my sweet Alyss, nor even sought her out. But knowing that after a hundred years in the guise of a cold dragon I might very soon be human, I could not resist.

What surprised me, was her willingness to be near me. My crown gave me the power to sense her moods, and how she felt about me, and I was ever wary of artifice on her part. But she never wavered in her joy at spending time with me. We talked for hours about family, the island where we both lived, and some of the people I remembered, and those she knew.

As Be'lah learned magic through her ancestor, Alyss spent time with me. I found that the initial attraction I felt to her grew stronger. During a talk I had with Ehd Wyrd, I confessed that I was completely enamored with her. He admitted that he felt the same for Be'lah. After so many years, for both of us to be in love—it just felt like magic was at work.

I've always had a hard time keeping secrets, especially when they were really exciting secrets. The reason I told Alyss that Ehd Wyrd was interested in Be'lah, was to see how she responded to the idea that a dragon could fall for a human. She was irrepressibly excited for her friend, and begged me for permission to tell her. It was then I told her I felt the same way about _her_. She went from giggling and excitable to awed silence. I worried I'd said the wrong thing. I worried that she was afraid or disgusted by my interest. Then she hugged me, wrapping her arms around my ankle. It was then she confessed she felt love for me.

It was the same day she became drunk on the magic when she went to visit Be'lah in the pocket of magic where her ancestor lived. She scared me with the way she behaved, as if she had gone mad for a while. When she grew wings, she was horrified. I knew what she was feeling and what she was going through, since I'd been magically transformed into a dragon years before her. I could still remember how inhuman I'd felt at the time. It was as if the body I knew and had grown into, was no longer my own. She was still Alyss, but being faced with the fairy side of her lineage in such a bold way, was hard for her. It was in those hours of her transformation, that I truly fell in love with her. I knew as I tried to comfort her, that I would do anything for her—even give up my life for her.

I still couldn't believe I'd left her behind.

"Come on J'Spurr, we need to keep going." Ehd Wyrd's patience was wearing thin. I kept stopping, thinking of some plan to return and rescue her from the castle. We'd seen on the way out, that the place had magical enchantments to protect itself. We'd narrowly missed being killed, as powerful beams had shot from points around the walls as we'd fled. I knew going back in uninvited, would be a death sentence.

"What if we went in through the underground waste tunnels?" I didn't even know if they had such a thing in their city.

"Our best hope, is to get to the gateway. Maybe the fairies near the mountains will help us. We can't go back now, and you know they won't hurt her."

"I don't know that! They locked her in the dungeon already, how can I be sure they won't do something even worse?"

"She's part of the queen's family. They think she belongs with them."

"She doesn't! She belongs with me, not that stupid _fairy!_"

"Have you taken a good look at yourself lately? You're as much a fairy as he is. You know you can change back..."

"No." I looked at him, worried about what he would think. "I can't change back—I've tried. I can't even change the way I look; I'm stuck like this."

"That doesn't make sense, J'Spurr. You're a dragon, not a fairy."

"It _does_ make sense." Be'lah came up beside him and took his hand. "The last time your whole family was changed, it was part of a magical curse, and tied to a prophesy. We have heard the prophesy extends to what's happening on this side of the gateway, and Alyss seemed to think there was something separating the dark haired fairies from all others. Maybe it's some kind of curse? There's obviously powerful magic involved in this change. It took breaking the curse to change you from dragons to humans..."

"A curse we weren't able to break." Ehd Wyrd interrupted her, again looking ashamed for what he saw as his failure regarding the curse.

"So, we have to make sure we break this one, or J'Spurr could become a fairy permanently."

"How do we break a curse we didn't even know existed?" They both turned to look at me. "I thought I chose this form for her, how could it become a curse?" She recited the words of Ghar'rett's poem.

"_Unexpected rivalries, hatreds, wars, and feuds. Careful of the treacherous, whimsical of moods. _It's obvious that whether we like it or not, we're being drawn into some kind of feud. It probably wouldn't matter what color your hair was, J'Spurr, you're obviously supposed to be on the side of their enemy."

"I should have stayed behind; it would have put an end to all this foolishness!"

"Maybe you didn't have a choice." I stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "You might have been unwittingly compelled to leave. I don't remember making a choice to leave, and I don't think I'd have left my friend behind if there wasn't a good reason. There's magic at work here that I don't understand. It's old and powerful, and maybe we have to learn to work within its boundaries. When my grandmother wanted to destroy the gateway, she couldn't just destroy it, she had to work within the constraints of the magic. It took her generations to create me, the perfect means of destruction, and even then every circumstance had to be just right."

"Are you telling me that I've been designed to be some kind of weapon?"

"We've obviously got a part to play in this prophesy. I'd hoped that once Jheyms was dead, and the gateway was destroyed, we could be finished with it. But it seems we're in deeper than I ever imagined. Things are going to happen the way they were intended, no matter how much we fight against it." She was clearly upset by the thought.

"Alyss is... they seem to think she's supposed to marry that other fairy. I can't let that happen!"

"Then I think this would count as an 'unexpected rivalry.' We'll all work to get through this, but clearly this part of the prophesy has targeted you and Alyss."

"No matter what happens, I need to get her back. If she marries him... I don't know what I'll do without her." Be'lah believed I might be entirely fairy, but I felt a dragon's sense of commitment to my Alyss. I loved her, and that was never going to change—_never._

I was in a dark mood for most of the day as we continued walking. When Ghar'rett stopped us, there was an odor on the wind that made us all fall silent and still. Smoke. Since Be'lah didn't feel any ill effects from the magic of fey, she was the one who went to check it out. One moment I could see her, and the next she seemed to disappear. She was planning to fly up over the trees to see what was going on. The wind shifted as soon as she left, and along with the smoke, I could smell something dead, and a lot of it.

The sounds came to us in a rush, and we all fell back, narrowly missing being overrun by a large group of monsters. They were the monsters I remembered from the books of my youth. Fairy tales I'd thought were make believe, now came back to remind me of what I was seeing. Goblins, hobgoblins, trolls, giants, and other horrible beasts, stampeded past us, as we crouched in the thick foliage. Even when they were gone, we could still hear their thunderous steps, shouts, and howls. When Be'lah returned, she gathered us in a circle to tell us what she'd seen.

"I was lucky they couldn't see me, but there were a couple of the giants who could probably smell me—they turned my way but didn't stop. It looks like we're right in the middle of some kind of battle region. A little further east it looks like two armies clashed; there are a lot of dead of all different creatures. The trees are burning—they're screaming too. It looks like a few hundred bodies on the field, and most of them are monsters. I saw a few fairies as well, both light and dark haired. It's all very horrible, and the carrion eaters have already started picking at the bodies."

"We've got to find a way around." Ehd Wyrd took her hand, lending his support. "We've seen one of the armies retreating already."

"No. That wasn't an army." She corrected him. "That was only one unit, and there are many of them in this area. I couldn't tell who was doing all the fighting, but there's easily a thousand fighters within a days walk of here. I'm surprised we made it this far without running into anything."

"We need to get to higher ground." They turned my way at the command in my voice. I didn't know a lot of things, but I'd learned everything our father's captain of the guard had to teach. He was an old, battle scarred veteran, who had come to our island to find solace in the latter part of his life. I had once dreamed of holding his position, and I had spent so much time at his side, he often called me Son. He was a fine teacher, and I had been an eager student. I learned fighting styles, but more than that, I leaned the tactics that could mean the difference between winning a battle or dying in defeat.

"Shouldn't we change into our dragon forms, so we can better protect ourselves?" Ehd Wyrd clearly enjoyed being a powerful dragon, and I was sure M and Ghar'rett would want to take on the stronger dragon aspect as well.

"It's hard to hide a dragon. We've already seen giants and other creatures who could challenge even a dragon. I think we'd do better to stay small for now. If there are a lot of monsters converging on this area, I think we should stay as small a target as possible. I also think we should keep our best weapon secret. Thinking we're mostly humans could make them underestimate us. We need to get to higher ground, so we can plan our strategy. We're also more likely to find someone in charge in such a place."

"There are some hills to the northeast; it shouldn't take us long to get there." As Be'lah mentioned the hills, I headed in that direction, not waiting for them to challenge or disagree with me. A lot of armies failed when leadership was in question. I took charge, knowing Ehd Wyrd would follow his older brother without question. Be'lah had some good leadership qualities, but she could be indecisive and emotional at times. M was powerful, but he was too independent to be a good leader. Ghar'rett was wise and wily, but he was also normally a gigantic dragon who was unused to facing anything his size and strength could not defeat. I glanced back as M scooped up my sister Rose. She wasn't faring well at all. I couldn't rely on her wise counsel.

The fairy wings moved me along fast enough to keep just ahead of their human steps. Keeping watch for enemies kept me from worrying about Alyss. As the ground sloped upward, the wind shifted, and I smelled something that sent a tingle through me. I couldn't place it, but I stopped everyone, and we gathered in a circle around Rose. We were silent, and I could tell the others knew we were in a dangerous position. There wasn't anything we could see, and only the barest rustle of leaves turned us toward the danger.

Then it attacked, snatching Be'lah from our midst with a triumphant screech. We couldn't see it, but it was large enough to hoist her high into the air. Ehd Wyrd didn't hesitate, but changed into his dragon form to try to rescue his love. Surprisingly, M and Ghar'rett didn't change. M was guarding Rose, and Ghar'rett watched Ehd Wyrd trying to attack his invisible foe.

"It's a glimmering!" Ghar'rett sounded awed, and a little frightened. Be'lah had fought one of the magical beasts before we'd come through the gateway. It was one of the enemies of dragons, from their realm. Glimmerings were once powerful dragons, who learned to become invisible, to prey on other dragons. In choosing to become assassins and cannibals, they ceased being dragons, and transformed into irredeemable monsters. Ehd Wyrd kept missing it with his attacks, and Be'lah was bleeding heavily from where its talons had obviously pierced her. I couldn't even tell if she was still conscious, the way she was whipped about in the creatures grasp.

"It doesn't want _her, _she's just the bait to get to him." Ghar'rett's words scared me. "They eat _dragons,_ not humans." Even as he spoke, Be'lah was dropped, and she landed somewhere in the undergrowth. "It must know what we are."

I watched in horror as my brother was attacked by something none of us could see. We couldn't see it, but it was easy to imagine a monstrous dragon, as he was caught in invisible claws, and invisible teeth sliced into his neck. He fought, twisting in its grasp, and even managed to nip at it. But a chunk disappeared from his neck, making it evident that the monster planned to eat him alive.

Ghar'rett transformed into an immense blue dragon and took to the sky. I myself fought to transform, but it wouldn't happen. I fluttered the wings on my back, lifting above the treetops, but I was dwarfed by the dragons. Ehd Wyrd struggled, but he was bleeding profusely from his neck, and he couldn't free himself. Ghar'rett flew at the beast, but it evaded him, taking my brother further from us as it avoided his attacks. Again and again he tried to bite and claw whatever it was that had hold of Ehd Wyrd, but it was surprisingly agile.

It was then I realized something my brother and Ghar'rett couldn't see. The glimmering was much bigger than Ghar'rett! The way it held Ehd Wyrd was like a toy it easily snatched away from the blue dragon. Be'lah was bait to get to Ehd Wyrd, and now Ehd Wyrd was bait to get Ghar'rett to chase it. The creature intended to have both of them! It could then come back at its leisure to finish off M and the rest of us.

It took off then, flying to the north, taking my brother with it as Ghar'rett gave chase. If it got away, I knew instinctively I would never see either of them again.

I'd never flown much as a fairy, hovering along the ground as the others walked was about all I'd tried. I didn't want to accept the idea that I might be stuck like this. But I'd seen Alyss fly in a way that made dragon speed look slow. I had to try.

I took to the sky, and I could feel the wings on my back whirring, as they carried me after the glimmering and its planned feast. I caught up to it, even as Ghar'rett tried again to nip at something he couldn't see. I closed the distance, and breathed.

I expected my dragon breath to fail, but instead, the back of the creature became frosted and still. We could see it! Ghar'rett didn't wait, but tore into the underside of the monster with his teeth and claws. It was so big it made Ghar'rett look small in comparison. I flew to the front of the beast, and breathed again, freezing its front flank and one wing. It dropped Ehd Wyrd, and he managed to flap his wings enough to break his fall.

Then it hit me with something hard, knocking me toward the ground. I narrowly missed slamming into a tree, and it was my stupid fairy wings that caught me and kept me airborne. I tried another icy breath at the monster, but it was already thawing and moving through the sky. It whipped around and must have bit down on Ghar'rett. His yelp was as much surprise as pain, as the thing latched onto his hind leg. I breathed three more times, but it was fast, and the part I could see didn't hold still. I managed to hit one of its feet, but it wasn't enough to tell me where to attack it next.

Ghar'rett managed to tear himself free, and he chomped down on the foot I'd frozen. The glimmering screamed, and I moved quick, feeling its failed attack displace the air where I was. I felt something warning me, and I continued to move, zipping from place to place, as it became obvious I was the one it wanted to kill.

The blue dragon breathed his lightning breath at the creature, and I could smell the charring of its flesh as it screeched in pain and anger. I flew toward Ghar'rett, and perched high on his neck, where he could hear me.

"Left!" The big dragon dodged left, and the glimmering missed its attack on us. I tried to breathe my cold at it, but I could feel the magical attack was somehow used up. "Dive!" Ghar'rett didn't question, but dove, dropping below the creature. He tossed his head back, and breathed another bolt of lightning at the monster. It shrieked, obviously in pain. "Go high." He followed my command, and we soared. I could hear the beating wings behind us. Ghar'rett couldn't outrun it.

The invisible creature latched onto Ghar'rett again, and I turned in my perch. I didn't have magical breath, but I had _magic. _I pointed above the place on Ghar'rett's back which was bleeding profusely, and I released the power. For a moment I could see the glimmering in the magical blast. I'd hurt it bad, and it let go of my dragon companion.

"Down and left, fast!" Ghar'rett wheeled in midair and dove. I felt the power and drew it to me. I closed my eyes, and sensed the presence of the beast, just below us. I reached out, and directed powerful magic at it. It screamed as the magic tore into it. "Hold!" Ghar'rett couldn't hover, but he did his best. Eyes closed, I felt the creature as a disturbance within the magic. I directed another bolt at it, followed by three more quick blasts. It was so tough, what would have killed M or Ghar'rett had failed to kill this glimmering.

It moved fast, and leaped onto Ghar'rett, snapping at me. I flew out of its range, as it dug its claws into Ghar'rett and continued to snap those powerful jaws. I realized then it couldn't see me! One of my attacks had struck its eyes. I flew out of its reach and with my own eyes closed, I drew the magic in. I could see the glimmering, as a shadow on the other side of my eyelids, and it was tearing into Ghar'rett in a painful frenzy. He couldn't stay in the air much longer.

I felt it. I breathed it. I tasted it on my tongue and absorbed it. The magic of Fey came to me—obeyed my silent command as docile as a pup. I formed it in my head, creating a deadly lance of strength and power. Then I held it, balanced in my palm. It was the power of life and death, obeying my will. I felt the creature's rage, and knew with certainty that it was about to bite into the neck of the giant blue dragon and end him.

It was old magic, _dangerous _magic, and it obeyed me. The lance that had taken shape as a thought, left my hand as truth. It flew unerringly and pierced the flesh of the glimmering, burying itself deep in its chest and tearing through its blackened heart. The maw that would have torn my friend apart, roared, keening its death knell as the heart inside it burst and it died.

Ghar'rett dislodged the beast, and it fell. Even before it hit the ground, we could see it, as its invisibility died with it. I didn't stop to make sure it was dead, but rejoined my friend.

"Are you strong enough to keep flying? We need to find the others before the soldiers get to them." Ghar'rett was hurt bad, but his wings still worked, and I perched on his back and began to lend my magic to his own healing ability.

My magic. I'd never had magic like this, even when I was a dragon. I'd possessed a few draconic abilities, like my icy breath and the ability to take a different form, but this was different. I had listened to Alyss explain how it felt to be a fairy, and now I could understand what she was talking about. I could feel the magic flowing around and through me. I was part of it, and it was part of me—interconnected. Beneath my hands, I felt the magic knitting his torn flesh together.

We saw Ehd Wyrd, but there was a squad of monstrous soldiers between the two of us and my brother. He had seen them, and even in his dragon form he'd managed to lay low and avoid them. Ghar'rett turned to evade the monsters, and narrowly missed flying right into six giants who were coming for us.

These weren't slow and ponderous, but fast—dragon fast. Ghar'rett flew as quick as his battered body could take us, and I turned to cast several magic blasts at the giants. I may as well have been blowing them kisses for all the damage it did. A boulder flew past us on the right, and a tree exploded with the impact. Ghar'rett flew a twisting pattern that reminded me of Ehd Wyrd, and I held on tight. Another boulder crashed into the trees on the left, but we were starting to gain some distance on them.

Then we were hit.

Ghar'rett went down hard, as a boulder hit him in the back and neatly snapped one wing. I was able to break his fall with a shell of protection around him, but the giants were closing on us.

"Change to your human form!" He didn't question me, but changed, collapsing into unconsciousness with his injuries. I pulled him into some dense growth, and cast a spell. It was the one Alyss had cast to hide her from anyone who might hear and see her tell the guardian about our plans. It was a dome over us, and I hoped we were invisible beneath it. Alyss had been able to block her sounds with the dome, and I hoped mine blocked scent as well as sound.

The giants came stomping through the woods, perilously close to us. I worried one would step on us, and we'd be crushed inside the dome. I didn't have time to waste on such worries, as Ghar'rett was bleeding heavily. Sitting on the ground, I held him against me, and willed the magic to flow through me, and into him. I used magic that was above any Be'lah could cast, and it came to me without words or spells. It was as simple as breathing.

Just like the little sprites healed Alyss and the rest of us, I was able to heal Ghar'rett. His broken bones mended, and his bleeding stopped. I had seen Be'lah use such powerful magic, and it exhausted her. But I didn't feel drained at all. It was like standing in a river, and trying to empty it with a bucket—impossible.

As his breathing calmed, and he rested peacefully, I looked through the barrier I'd created. I could still see monsters searching for us, and much of the undergrowth had been trampled. I was sure it was only a matter of time before we were found.

Dipping into the river of magic one more time, I tried a spell I hoped would work. Ghar'rett went from looking like a human man with light hair, to a hideous goblin, with warts on his face. The pallor of his skin matched those I'd seen nearby, and the insignia on his leather vest matched theirs as well. I tried to change my own aspect, but it didn't work. It was as if I was a rock in that river of magic.

I woke up Ghar'rett and explained my plan to him. He wasn't thrilled when he saw the flaking skin of his arms, and his protruding gut. He ran his hands over his face, and through his sparse hair, and his frown deepened.

"We don't have time to make you prettier, we have to go, before they stumble onto us. If anyone stops us, we're looking for the spies, and you're carrying a message to the leaders. We're heading for the top of the nearest hill, so we can find the others.

"Is the glimmering gone?" I had to marvel at the gap in his memory.

"It's dead. You took quite a hit from the giants, after we defeated it. We need to be careful of them, I think they must have a great sense of smell, and they're fast as dragons."

He picked at the vest, then looked me in the eye. "You haven't really changed me into this, have you?"

"No. It's only an illusion. You're still in your human aspect, but I almost had you convinced I'd transformed you. That's part of the magic of illusion—belief."

I looked around, and it was quiet. I dropped the barrier, and we crept forward, listening for the movement of soldiers. I pointed soundlessly in the direction of the hill, and we hurried along. We dodged three hunting parties, and when we were spotted by a fourth, we kept moving as if we knew what we were doing, and there were no questions asked.

As we climbed the hill, I worried about Ehd Wyrd and Be'lah. I hoped M and Rose had stayed safe. I knew we'd have to go and look for them, but maybe we'd fare better at night. I could see well in the dark, as I'd lived most of my life in the caves. At the summit, I stood and scanned the area around us. I didn't see any of our group. In places where I thought they might have been, there were large groups of monsters and soldiers.

A shimmer to my right made me fall back into a defensive crouch, and Ghar'rett did the same. A barrier like the one I'd cast to keep us hidden dropped, and there were several fairies sitting there on rocks and chairs.

"Splendidly done, Prince J'Spurr!" A female fairy in a blue dress fluttered my way. "The others bet that you wouldn't make it, but I knew you would! I so love when I win!" She clapped tiny hands, and her smile made me gasp. She was lovely, and I stared as she fluttered closer to us. Ghar'rett stepped between us threateningly, and she stopped. She reached out and touched his face, and the illusion disappeared.

"That was very nice work. I know some masters who can't do a convincing goblin illusion. I could even see the fleas jumping through his hair—so very, very good. Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Lore'yn." She curtsied. "I'm actually queen of this realm." She giggled and her blue eyes sparkled in the late day sun.

"How do you know my name?" Ghar'rett had stepped back from her, as she didn't seem to pose a threat. I faced her down.

"Oh, I know all about you and your friends. You're written in our prophesies, as is that usurper who stayed behind with my enemy, Queen Jyss'ca." She tried to link her arm with mine, and I pulled away. She was speaking against the woman I loved.

"Alyss is not a usurper! You don't have any right to speak of her, and I don't care if you _are_ a queen!" She looked stunned and angry for a moment, then she recovered her composure and her smile.

"I thought my information was flawed when I heard you were actually in _love _with her. What a tragic turn of events. You cannot be together, you must realize this."

"I don't have to realize any such thing. I'm in love with her, and we will be together—once you and your kind stop interfering in our lives and distracting us from our goals." My words seemed to hurt her, and there was a long pause before she spoke again.

"I'm sorry to hear you say that, J'Spurr. We only want to help you with your quest, and keep you from making a terrible mistake. You're not destined to be with Princess Alyss." She laid her hand gently on my cheek, and I shook her off. "She will marry Prince Mar'n; it is written in both of our prophesies."

"I don't believe you." Her words played on my mind, and I fought to deny them. "I suppose your prophesies have me paired with someone else?" I didn't want to hear the answer, but I needed to know what I was dealing with before I could prevent it.

"No, not exactly. You have more choices available to you. You will rule; that much is clear. But the fairy by your side—that is something our scholars have been unable to determine. Our names are linked several times in the prophesy. I confess, I have remained single in hopes that you would find me a suitable match." She smiled, and fastened her eyes on me.

The girl was beautiful, with eyes like clouds reflected in a calm lake. Her hair flowed down her back like molten sunshine, and her face was pale perfection, with a tiny upturned nose, and pink lips that begged to be kissed.

I felt it then, the magic at work in our attraction. It wasn't natural, but even knowing the truth didn't make it easier to resist her. I wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms, and kiss her sweet lips. She moved closer, and I slid my hand up her bare arm, unable to resist touching her. Her lips parted and her eyes drifted closed; she could feel the attraction, and she knew our kiss was inevitable.


	5. Chapter 5 Love Slave

Chapter five

Love Slave

Alyss saved me. I remembered our first kiss, the day Be'lah had transformed me from a dragon to a man, before the curse had become permanent. I'd kissed my Alyss, holding her tight, right there with my family watching. It was the best moment of the last hundred years, and it was written on my soul. Even fairy magic couldn't take that away. I stepped back, and tried to pretend I hadn't planned to kiss the queen.

"I think we need to be going." I fastened my eyes on Ghar'rett, trying not to see the look of disappointment and hurt on Lore'yn's lovely face.

"No! You can't go, there are monsters all over the land. We've got a war going on; you must come back to the city with us!"

"I need to find the rest of our group. My brother and his... betrothedwere injured, and my sister is very sick."

"Ah yes, the lovely Princess Rose, and the handsome Prince Ehd Wyrd. Come with me, and I will have my commanders and scouts look for them. They're written in the prophesy as well, I'm sure they'll be fine."

"Pardon me if I don't take your word on that. No, I think we'll go and look for them ourselves."

"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to leave." Her words had taken on a dangerous edge, and my crown warned that she was angry.

"I'm afraid you don't have the authority to stop us." I knew it was the wrong thing to say, but her imperious attitude irritated me.

"I _do _have the authority to stop you." The tiny tiara on her head twinkled, and I felt completely unable to move. I willed myself to take a step, and my feet refused to obey me. "You and your friend will be staying with us—as our _guests_. Oh, Prince J'Spurr, why are you trying to fight me?" She came close and wrapped her arms around me, laying her head on my shoulder. "I only want to help you. My people will find your family, and bring them along as soon as they're located."

I felt her lips graze my neck, and a shiver ran through me. Her fingers played through my hair, and she caressed my cheek. Had I not been frozen in place, I would have eagerly taken her in my arms and kissed her hungrily. Why was I trying to fight her?

My crown was not without power of its own. I felt her triumph, and the self-satisfied smugness in her easy victory over me. It made me angry, and with my anger I felt her control weaken. I turned my eyes to Ghar'rett, and I could see that he too was caught in her spell. I felt his effort to change into the dragon form that might save us. I felt his rage at being unable to control his own body.

"Sweet J'Spurr, please stop fighting me. You and your friend cannot hope to win. I am the reigning queen; the magic obeys _me_. You're only making this more difficult for yourselves." Her gentle hands turned my face back to hers, and her eyes met mine. She smiled, and my anger faded in the face of her beauty. "That's more like it."

She rose up on tiptoe and her arms slipped around my neck, pulling me closer. Her lips on mine made my head spin, as if I were tumbling in a long fall. I gasped at the power of our connection, and she deepened the kiss. I could move then, and I pulled her tighter against me. My existence began and ended with our kiss. I couldn't stop even to breathe; my hands moved over her tiny form, learning her and keeping her as close as possible. I was lost, and desperately, hopelessly, _magically_ in love with the fairy queen. When she pulled away, I felt part of me go with her. She pulled away from my embrace, and I felt anxious to be near her again.

"May I have your crown, Prince J'Spurr?" Her smile made my heart beat. Her sweet voice gave me breath.

"Of course, my darling. Just do not place it on your head, or it will surely kill you." I swept the circlet off my head and held it out to her. She motioned to one of her companions, and he presented a hinged box to me. I placed my crown into the box, and my queen smiled as she closed the lid. With a wave of her fingers, a lock appeared on the box.

"Thank you my sweet. You may kiss me now." I rushed to her arms and kissed her fiercely. My hands tore through her pale hair, my arms held her close, and my mouth plundered hers. I wanted her—_needed _her with a passion that knew no bounds. I wanted to remove our clothes, and take her then and there. When I tore her dress, she pulled away.

"Prince J'Spurr! You cannot have me as if I were a common sylph. Surely you know the way this must be done; you _are _a prince after all." I stared at her. She was my sun. I adored her. I couldn't stand the look of displeasure on her lovely face. I fell to my knees before her and took her hands in mine.

"Please marry me, Queen Lore'yn. You hold my heart, and I love you more than my own life. My only joy is to see you happy. My only reason for existing is to be at your side. I cannot live a moment without you. Our souls are intertwined, and I cannot bear being apart from my one and only true love."

"What of Princess Alyss?" I felt my heart shred as she mentioned her name. My precious one doubted me—no! Surely this doubt of my love would cause me to bleed; it hurt me physically.

"She... I never loved her, my darling! She is nothing. Only you can inspire my undying love. Only you can make my soul sing. She is but a pale imitation of perfection. Marry me, and I will never fail you. Marry me, and my life will be complete!"

"Arise my prince." I stood, glad to be closer to her sweet face. "I will marry you..." My heart nearly beat out of my chest, I was so overjoyed. "...on one condition." I knew true despair, that she did not accept my troth fully. I longed for a sword to fall upon to end my suffering. "I only ask that you prove your love for me with a small gift."

"I will give you anything your heart desires, my love. You need only name it, and it is yours."

"I knew I could count on you, my precious prince." She softly kissed my lips, and my world stopped spinning. I loved her so much, it took all of my control, not to pull her to me and love her in a physical way. I shook with the effort of restraining myself. "You may hold me gently, if you like..."

I wasted not one precious moment, but wrapped her in my arms, as if she were a precious bird, a soft kitten, or a delicate butterfly. We continued to kiss, and I tasted her sweetness on my tongue. It was incomprehensible to me that we could not be joined immediately. What could she possibly ask of me that I would not gladly give? She pulled away after too little time had passed. I noted the impatience of her entourage, and the sun dropping low in the sky told me we had been kissing for quite a while.

"First, we will return to our city." Even as she said the words, we began to move. "I cannot wait to show you what our kingdom looks like. You will make a marvelous king at my side!" I smiled, unable to contain my happiness at the though of being at her side. "Once we find your family, we can begin to make our plans to be wed. In twenty-one days, the twin moons will be aligned in the sky. It's a good omen, and we will be married as the first star appears between the moons." My mouth fell open as I walked along beside her.

_Twenty-one days? That's too long! How can I resist her for so long? I need her, now! _I felt so overwhelmed at the thought of waiting to be joined with my true love. I longed to make love with her, and even her sweet kisses were like a drug that left me craving more.

She glanced at me as her guardians fell in around us. "There are actually two things I want from you before we get married..." Impossible! One barrier after another seemed to be coming between us. "First, I want you to lead my army to victory over my enemies. I know you are a cunning leader, and you should have no problem reversing the tide of the war." Her hand on my cheek and soft kiss on my lips made me forget about her barriers and conditions.

"Yes my love, whatever you ask. Your enemies are my enemies."

"I'm glad you feel that way. These dark-haired usurpers have been a thorn in my side for far too long. All the signs point to a clash between our two peoples which will finally answer the question of who is the rightful leader." She kissed me again, and I drowned in the splendor of her lips. When she pulled back, I was crazed with longing for her, and the sun was edging below the horizon.

"I want you to give me a wedding present—a _special _wedding present, worthy of your love for me."

"Name it! Please my love, I will give you anything!" I felt desperate to convince her of my devotion.

"Princess Alyss Merri of house Brend'n is my enemy. I want you to bring me her wings."

I smiled. It was such a simple task. I knew where she was, and I had the power now to fly through the castle's defenses. I could go now and be back before the dawn. My smile grew as I imagined tearing the wings from the dark-haired usurper's back with my bare hands. How dare she cause my true love to worry.

She stopped and turned to me. "You will need to use this." She gestured, and a blade appeared in her delicate hands. The hilt was jeweled, and the blade glinted silvery-white in the disappearing rays of the sun. I took it from her, and it fit my hand like it was made for me.

"Do you wish me to slay her as well?" I imagined plunging the blade into the heart of our enemy. I felt offended that she drew breath, while my beloved lamented her presence in the world.

"Nooo... no of course not. That won't be necessary. Slice the wings from her back with _that _blade, and bring them to me. The magic of the blade won't allow them to regrow, and she will be nearly powerless. Once the wings are in my hand, we can be married."

"I will go at once!" I'd taken several steps when she stopped me with a word.

"Wait." You cannot go just yet. First we return to the city, and then there is the army to lead. Once our enemies are vanquished, it should be time for you to go and acquire my gift. By then she will be married to Prince Mar'n, and the reigning outlier queen. Then and only then can you take her wings."

"What becomes of her then?"

"Does she still concern you?" I saw the shadow of jealousy cloud her face, and rushed to reassure her.

"No, not at all. I merely wanted to know what to expect. What is the significance of the wings? I could bring you her head instead." I pulled her close to me, hoping to reassure her of my loyalty. My fingers combed through her lustrous hair. "I love only you, my beautiful Queen Lore'yn.

"So you say..." Her teasing smile twisted a knife in my heart. How could she even pretend to doubt me? She patted my cheek, and again we began moving—toward the city I assumed.

"The wings are the first sign one is a fairy. The wings filter the magic of Fey—they draw in the magic and make it useful. Without her wings, she will only have her own internal magic to rely upon. A queen who cannot control and wield magic will easily be overthrown. She will become a common sylph."

"What is a sylph?" Her laughter at my question was mesmerizing. I loved her so much, I froze for a moment, just listening to the enchanting music of her voice.

"I forget how little you know about us, Prince J'Spurr. A sylph is like a cross between a fairy and an elf. They have no wings, and the only magic they have is what little they are born with. Even the sprytz rank above them. Sylphs are still very beautiful, and technically they are still of Fey. But they are looked down upon. They are most often servants and slaves, and their beauty makes them good for... satisfying the lusts of other races of Fey."

"It sounds like you're speaking of loose women. Do you believe our enemy will become one of these without her wings?" I took her hand in mine, and laced our fingers together as we walked.

"I can only hope. Prince Mar'n will have no choice but to set her aside. He is a prince and if he wants his line to continue, he will be forced to mate with a true fairy."

"I could kill him and end his line." For some reason the thought of killing the fairy prince made me smile. "He can have no claim on you, can he my beloved?" I felt unreasonable terror seize me at the thought that another prince could take my place at her side.

"Of course not. Once he and my enemy are wed, he is ruined for loving anyone else. Any fairy he joins with after her, will be for convenience and mating only. The same is true of her." She smiled and laughed. "How fitting an end for my enemy, to be set aside by the one she loves the most. How horrible, to become a sylph, and be forced to satisfy the lusts of others, never again knowing love."

"It is only what she deserves for causing you concern, my love." I couldn't resist. I stopped walking and pulled her to me so we could kiss in the shadows of the setting sun. "I love you so much, my beautiful queen. I will make it my lifelong goal to ease your troubles and make you happy."

"I know you will, my sweet prince." She continued to lead our group away from the hilltops. As different contingents of monsters and soldiers passed us, they paid her homage, bowing as they moved past our group. I was surprised at how numerous and varied they were. A small contingent of very small men passed us by, and the queen actually moved aside. They didn't bow, but in the light of immense glow spheres, they boldly stared us down as they went by.

It made me angry to see such disrespect for my lovely queen, but her hand on my arm stopped me from attacking them.

"No, Prince J'Spurr, it would be foolish indeed to attack them. Those are Leprin's. They follow my orders to fight as I am the reigning queen, but otherwise they don't acknowledge my authority. They travel freely between realms, without need of a gateway. They have some of the most powerful magic of Fey within their tiny forms. They have no wings, and it is all their own magic. The magic of the realm obeys me, but the power within a leprin obeys only the leprin.

"It sounds like they could easily win the war for you." I looked over my shoulder, but the small cohort had already disappeared.

"They could—if they chose. Leprin's fight only to keep the balance. Because my side has taken losses recently, they have joined to us to regain what we've lost. They will stop fighting as soon as that goal is achieved."

"That doesn't make any sense! It sounds as if they could keep this war going on forever, if neither side is allowed to prevail."

"We're fortunate because the leprin's won't join the other side. They will keep us from losing, but they won't assist them in winning." She laughed. "They also provide us with great treasure to help pay our soldiers. They travel to realms where gems and gold are plentiful, and what they bring back overflows our treasury. Fairies don't care about such things, but the trolls, giants, and goblins do."

I was left to ponder the different races of the realm, as I continued to walk at her side. I ached to hold her and kiss her, but our group hurried along in the dark. We came to a great river, and I thought we would cross over, finally putting our wings to use. But with a wave of her hand, she revealed a boat tied to a dock.

It was a large boat, with sails of blue and yellow revealed in the balls of glowing light. Our entourage climbed aboard, and Ghar'rett was prodded to board as well. I'd forgotten all about my friend while in the presence of my beloved queen, and he glared at me as he stepped past us, with a soldier at each elbow.

We boarded, and she lead me to the comfortable hold of the small ship, and we sat side by side near a window. I could see the water, with the twin moons reflected on its surface, as the boat moved away from the dock. We were traveling up river at a speed that ignored the rushing water going the other direction. She giggled, obviously thinking it was funny that I was so awed by the magic.

"The wind obeys me, J'Spurr. The sails will take us to Misty Falls, and the sprytz will lift the boat up and over the drop. We should arrive at the city by dawn. I can't wait for you to see it!"

"If you are there, I know it will be beautiful." I pulled her to me, and there was no reason I couldn't hold her and kiss her as I yearned. It was sweet bliss, being free to kiss and cuddle her, as she told me of her plans for our wedding.

As the boat sailed on through the night, we rested, nestled together. I wondered why those of her personal guard didn't try to separate us. In my realm, a single young lady had to preserve her reputation, by never being alone with a man. But she was the queen, and I'm sure they reasoned she could protect herself from any of my unwanted advances.

When the boat stopped, I was disappointed that my beloved pulled away from me so quickly. She lead us up to the deck of the ship, and began giving orders of what everyone should be doing. Her eyes alighted on mine, and she smiled.

"I want you to stay with me. They'll take your friend to his own accommodations." Of course, I kept forgetting about Ghar'rett. At the back of my mind were thoughts of Ehd Wyrd, Rose, M, and Be'lah, but they faded in importance, as I followed her from the boat, watching the way she sashayed along the dock.

She stopped on the shore, and as I came alongside her, she wrapped her arm around me. "Isn't it beautiful, Prince J'Spurr?" I wasn't sure what she was talking about. We stood facing a thick stand of old growth forest. In the distance I could see the mountains rising up out of the foothills. Her arm around me was distracting, and I turned to kiss her before she could say another word. She pulled away from me.

"Isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" Again she went on about the trees, tossing her arms wide as she twirled. Her delicate wings fluttered, and her slippered feet left the ground.

"Those trees are not nearly as beautiful as you are, my love." She landed and looked at me with astonished eyes.

"Those are not '_trees,'_ Prince J'Spurr, that is my _city!_" Her irritation crushed me, and I reached for her, trying to pull her to me so that I might apologize for making her angry. "Don't touch me—_look!" _She pointed at the trees, and I turned as she commanded. The sun's rays reached over the mountains, and I finally saw what she was trying to show me.

The trees were gigantic, and they were full of fairies, flitting among the leaves, and occupying the hollow trunks. The trees closest to the river appeared to be full of sentries, and I noted several archers with arrows trained on me. She took my hand and pulled me closer. I saw delicate bridges between leafy boughs, and all manner of adaptations to the trees, including canopies and roofs. There were flowers and birds throughout, and as we got closer, the forest seemed to hum with life.

"You have my sincerest apologies, my queen. It is indeed beautiful. Please, can you find it in your generous heart to forgive me?" I waited, scarcely daring to breathe, hoping she would indeed forgive me for my thoughtlessness.

"Of course, Prince J'Spurr." She kissed my cheek and smiled. I was elated to again be in her good graces. "Wait until you see what's beyond the entrance!" We flew together, and the sentinel trees made a solid wall, until she came close, then they separated on great leg-like roots so we could flutter into the deep shade of the forest.'

It was magical inside, with sunlight reflected all around. Birds, butterflies, and a multitude of fairies flew from place to place. The perfume in the air was the exact scent my beloved wore, and along with the tinkling of bells and chimes, I heard singing, as if a choir was hiding among the branches of the trees, and singing a love song.

My head swiveled, trying to take in all the sights, sounds, and smells. Small animals scurried along the ground and up the trees, bakers sold their goods while walking along wooden footbridges, jewelry sparkled in the window of a shop, nestled in a tree. Children ran in patterns through the adults, laughing and squealing. Brightly colored cloth waved in the breeze, and a swarm of sprytz surrounded us.

"Hurry Prince J'Spurr!" Lore'yn had somehow gotten some distance away from me, and her playful smile beckoned as she turned and flitted along the pathway. I rushed to catch up, ignoring the peddlers, craftsmen, and a group of young people playing strange instruments in a small clearing. I _had _to catch her, and I felt a sense of panic as I lost sight of her. I flew as quick as I could, pulling magic to me as my wings whirred.

The sprytz lagged behind her enough I was able to see which direction she'd gone, and I nearly overran her guard when I caught her. I laced my fingers with hers and smiled, trying to will my pounding heart to calm. We stopped then.

"We're home." We stood before a tree that was at least twice as tall and wide as those around it. "Come with me." She lead me to an ornately carved carriage of some type, and as we stepped in I saw movement to the left. In the shadows of the tree, there was some kind of creature, and as I warily watched, it pulled a rope. The carriage went up, and my dear one giggled as she saw my alarm.

"The ogre pulls the rope, and it takes us as high as we want to go."

"We could just fly." I turned and took both her hands in mine. "Why do you walk so much? I don't see the reason for boats, and carriages, and ogres, if we can fly with ease."

With her palms on my cheeks, she kissed me. I forgot why I even wanted to know the answer to my question. I couldn't get enough of her, and I only pulled away when we reached the place where she wanted to stop.

We stepped out of the wooden box, and I followed her. We were clearly in the top of the tree, and it was only holding her hand that kept me from being nervous. I was still thinking like a cumbersome dragon, or even an ungainly human, not a light, graceful fairy. She lead me around the tree, dancing lightly on branches, and ducking under others. She stepped out onto a wide, stout branch, and I was right behind her. She stopped, and I came alongside her. My eyes were drawn away from her beautiful face, to what she was seeing.

We were looking down on the treetops, as the sun came over the mountain. It was breathtaking, as the light filtered through the trees, and gilded the distant valley.

"I love this place!" Her passionate declaration caused me unexpected pain. Even as I looked out at one of the most beautiful sights I'd ever seen, I despaired. Even though the entire forest, and much of the valley was visible from where we stood, I felt like I wanted to fold my wings and fall to my death. In moments my face was awash in tears.

"Yes..." She whispered in awe. "...it brings me to tears sometimes as well. You'll rule all of this with me, my prince." I couldn't stand beside her as I felt my heart, like a cold, dead weight inside me. I stepped to the trunk of the tree, and sank down, no longer having the will to stand.

"What's wrong, Prince J'Spurr?" I looked up at her, and with a trembling voice I spoke my agony.

"You don't love me."

The look on her face was one of surprise, and then I could see she wanted to deny I was right. I knew if I had my crown I would have known long before the moment. I saw the truth on her face then; she really didn't love me. I hid my face in my hands and wept bitterly. She was everything I wanted—every dream, every longing, every wish I could possibly dare to whisper. I loved her enough for two lifetimes. I loved her the depth and breadth of the sea. I loved her enough I would give her my very life and soul if she asked. But she didn't feel the same for me—cruel fate!

She sat beside me and took my hand. It was a small comfort, and I tried to cling to the tiny hope it offered. With her other hand she wiped tears from my eyes.

"I didn't want you to find out. It's true, I don't love you—yet. But I will. When I look into your eyes, and we say our marriage vows, I will be bound to you in every way. I will love you for certain on our wedding day."

"Why can't you love me now?" I resisted the urge to curl up in a ball to keep my heart from feeling like it was being ripped from my chest.

She kissed me, then pressed her cheek to mine. "I'm queen. I don't have the luxury of giving in to my emotions. I enjoy your company, and I like being close to you. You're a very good kisser, and I know I will enjoy it when we become lovers. You're a handsome man, and you're very clever. I know I have chosen the best future king, both for me and my realm."

"Can we marry sooner? Please my love, I don't care about omens. I don't know how I can possibly wait three weeks for you to love me! If you want this war won, then I will win it for you. If you want Alyss' wings clipped, then I will gladly do it for you. But to wait for your sweet love and affection—I cannot!"

Her kiss was passionate and she climbed into my lap, facing me. We held each other tight, and I felt her body pressed against me in a way I never had before, either with her or any other woman. With a knee on either side of my hips, she rubbed against me, causing a sensation that took my breath away.

She whispered in my ear, "Soon we'll be married, and we'll be able to do much more than this."

She kissed my ear, and traced it with her tongue. She moved over me again, and I pulled her snug against my body. I closed my eyes and imagined making love with her, as she continued to press against me, moving back and forth in a way that drove me wild with lust. I longed to tear our clothes off, but I forced myself to be content with what she offered with her repetitive movements.

Bliss... joy... wonder... gasping and touching, and longing for the completion that would have to wait for our wedding night. But it was close enough to bring me back from the edge of my despair and devastation. I shuddered against my love, and clutched her tight to me, as my body spilled its needs into my garments. Afterward her kisses were tender, and she rested her head against my shoulder.

"It doesn't have to be when the moons align. We can marry sooner—as soon as the tide of the war has turned. As soon as Alyss and Prince Mar'n are wed, you can clip her wings. I'll marry you as soon as you return. I _want _to love you, Prince J'Spurr." She smiled at me, and kissed me once more. "I want to make love with you almost as much—for real next time." She stood with the help of her wings, and I was finally able to stand on my own.

"Come along, I want to show you to your room." I followed after her, fighting the depression that was threatening me. I plotted ways to win the war as quickly as possible. I thought about starting a fire in the enemy lands, and burning them out. I knew the river could keep a fire away from the city, but there was a reason I shouldn't choose that path, I just couldn't quite remember it. As I settled into my room, I worried there were many things I was forgetting.


	6. Chapter 6 Monster Tales

Chapter 6

Monster Tales

I hurt all over, and the sun stabbed into my squinting eyes. I was cradled against Ehd Wyrd, and I knew I was lucky to be alive. I tried to sit up, but the pain was too much, and I fought not to faint. Slowly I took stock of my situation. I was bandaged around the middle, and what was left of my clothes as well as the bandages, were soaked in blood.

"Here, drink this." Ehd Wyrd held a beat up metal cup to my lips, and I sipped the water. Even my tongue hurt.

"What happened?" As Ehd Wyrd talked, telling me how I'd been snatched by a glimmering, I cast spells on myself to heal my injuries. My magic still worked, since it came from within rather than without.

"How did you get away from it?" I could finally sit up, and his answer surprised me more than it should have.

"J'Spurr and Ghar'rett somehow killed it. I...it was using you to get to me. They eat dragons. As soon as I changed and chased it, it dropped you. It almost killed us both. I don't know how they killed it, but I found its body in the woods while I was looking for you. I was afraid to keep looking for the others in the dark, but I _had _to find you. I was afraid to even carry you, you were hurt so bad. I'm sorry about your robe, I had to tear it to make the bandages."

What was left of my clothes was cut high above my knees, and sleeveless. It reminded me a little of the fashion of the fairies I'd seen—except for the blood.

"Are you okay?" I looked at him in the morning light, and he seemed unhurt.  
"Even in my human form, I have dragon healing. I was hoping you would heal like the fi'nyx; you had me so worried!"

"The fi'nyx doesn't heal; it dies and rises from the ashes." He didn't say anything, but held me tight, pressing a kiss to my head.

"Do you think you can walk now? I think we should find the others before all the armies start fighting again." To answer his question, I slowly stood up. I'd managed to close my wounds and start the healing process, but I could still feel the punctures where the beast had grabbed me. My head still hurt, and I thought I might have hit it when I was dropped.

He pulled me to him and held me, then he kissed me, slow and soft. I melted into his arms, feeling safe and secure for just a moment, as my mind emptied of how much danger we were still in. He pulled back and pressed his forehead to mine.

"You are far too tempting dressed like this." He smiled at me and cinched the tatters of my robe tighter around me, then pushed my hair behind my ear. "I love you so much... I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

"I love you too." I wanted to cling to him and kiss him like tomorrow would never come, but from a distance I could hear some kind of battle noise. We put our arms around each other, and went to look for the rest of our group.

The forest was rife with scouts and hunting parties, and we circled around a grassy plain where a small skirmish was going on between two goblin patrols. We had to be careful, because any pathway we chose was likely created by troop movements, and creeping through unbroken undergrowth made enough noise to be detected.

I was in the midst of casting invisibility on us when we were grabbed. I should have been more wary, especially after the glimmering attack, but it happened so fast. One moment I was casting the spell, and the next we were both grabbed in impossibly large hands.

We were captured by giants.

Ehd Wyrd looked as if he would change, but I shook my head to discourage him. As we were, we were no threat to the giants, but a dragon would likely fall under an immediate attack, and I could see there were six of them. Meaty fingers closed around me, leaving only my head poking out. Ehd Wyrd was in the left hand, and the giants didn't stop for a chat, but were stomping through the forest without a care in the world.

I had magic I knew would set me free, but I worried what would happen to Ehd Wyrd if I were freed. If the giant decided to crush him, throw him, or tear his limbs off, could his dragon healing save him? I could befuddle the giant's mind, but I was also afraid the others would notice any escape attempt I made. I decided to wait for a better opportunity.

Our situation went from bad to worse, when the giants met up with a large group of monsters, including about a dozen trolls and a few more giants. I was planning how we would fight our way free, as some goblins and ogres pointed at us.

"Let's cooks and eats 'em!"

"No cooking! I likes 'em raw."

"I likes 'em _live!"_

"I wants to rut with the elf before we eats it!" All the monsters seemed in agreement with that one, counting off who would go first and so on. A scuffle broke out between the two who were ninth and tenth. One of the giants roared and swept an arm through the group, scattering monsters.

In the midst of the monster army, the giant stopped and one of the others lifted a gigantic boulder. First Ehd Wyrd was pushed into the hole under the rock, then I too was lowered down and released. Before I could fly out, the rock was placed back over the hole, leaving us in blackness. I summoned a glow ball to see what we'd gotten ourselves into.

We weren't alone, and as Ehd Wyrd wrapped me in his arms, someone laughed from the shadows. "It seems the giants are better hunters than dragons." I guided the light sphere to the deeper recesses, and we saw M sitting on the dirt floor, cradling Rose in his lap. Ehd Wyrd rushed to his sister's side, and her eyelids didn't even flutter.

"She's sleeping. She fell asleep as soon as we realized the glimmering was dead, and she hasn't stirred since then. When the giants found us, I could have fought, but I wouldn't abandon her to them. I could have changed and carried her away, but I was worried there might be more glimmerings out there. At least in here I can protect her."

I knelt at her side as Ehd Wyrd smoothed the hair from her face. She looked pale, and I thought she was losing weight. I reached out and touched her, casting a simple healing spell, which should have lent her strength.

It failed!

No—it was_ rejected_. It was as if something pushed the magic away from her. I gasped at the recoil of power, and Ehd Wyrd noticed.

"I can't heal her."

"No one can heal the lass—not until the wee one allows it." We all turned to face the voice, and a little man crept from the other side of the pit. He was as small as the fairies, but he had no wings. "One thing Lant'n knows, is babes. This one is very powerful, and twice as stubborn. The little one refuses the magic. Like a stick in water, it not only floats, but refuses even to get wet.

"Are you trying to tell us her baby is making her sick?" Ehd Wyrd crept forward in a crouch to speak with the little man. "How would you know this?"

"Leprin magic. The babe does not make her sick, the babe rejects Fey. It wants to be what it wants to be—not of Fey."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ehd Wyrd continued to question the little man, though Lant'n—if that was his name—seemed to quickly get irritated with his questioning.

"All babes born in Feyare _of_ Fey. That babe..." He pointed to Rose's slightly protruding stomach. "...will not yield to Fey. That one would rather die—would rather its mother die—than be of Fey."

"It's making her sick, because it doesn't want to be born here?" Ehd Wyrd's question made the little man throw up his hands in exasperation.

"Tall ones are so stupid!" Lant'n looked as if he were explaining something to a child. "Magic moves through us all in Fey. Magic would heal the lass. The magic cannot reach her—cannot heal her. The babe is blocking the magic, and keeping her pure. The lass truly is not sick, she is caught between the magic and the babe. The magic wants to flow through her, but the babe will not allow it." He laughed then, which irritated Ehd Wyrd.

"A Leprin babe would never do this. Our young absorb magic in the mother's womb. We drink our fill, until we are steeped in magic and more cannot get inside. It's why the all-mother has made us so small. If we were bigger we would reign supreme, none could oppose us. Few can oppose us now."

"Why does the baby resist the magic?" I asked the question, and Lant'n looked my way with a grin.

"The babe wants to be what the babe wants to be." It was the same thing he'd said before.

"What does that mean?"

"You are another tall stupid..." He muttered something under his breath and came closer. M wouldn't let him get near Rose.

"All babes born in Fey are _of _Fey. Humans are born in the human realm. Elves are born in the Elven realm—or at least they once were. Fey are born in the Fey realm. See? It matters not what the babe was before. If it is born _here, _it will be born Fey!" He glanced at M and continued with a knowing grin. "Perhaps the babe would be a giant or a troll, with a father so large—perhaps a pixie or a nymph with a mother so fair."

"Impossible!" M's roar made the little man fall back into a defensive stance, and I could tell the way his fingers moved, that he was ready to cast a spell. "Rose is _mine. _This baby is _mine. _No giant or troll grows within her!"

"_Yet._" Lant'n's chin rose defiantly. "It is strong and stubborn, like its father—like its mother. But the magic of Fey has a will of its own. It weakens the mother, and tests the babe."

"She still has a long time until the baby is due to be born. If we get her home, everything will be normal, right?" He laughed at my question, and again insulted my height.

"She will stay weak if she stays in Fey unless the babe accepts the magic. If the babe accepts the magic, and is not born here, it may be normal—or not. Magic is not always kind to outsiders. If it continues to resist and is born here... I would like to see this, as there is no history of such." He looked me in the eyes and what he said shocked us all.

"This babe will be born much sooner than you think."

"How do you know all this?" I couldn't believe he'd barely looked at Rose, and yet he seemed to be foretelling her future.

He walked up to me where I knelt, and slapped me in the back of the head. Ehd Wyrd would have attacked him, but in an instant he was frozen mid-spring.

"Must you be so _insulting!_ I have tried to be patient with you, since you are all so _tall, _but such disrespect makes me wonder if you even deserve my help. One more insolent comment, and I will leave you to the most idiotic of tall ones outside."

"Those are pretty tough words for someone stuck in a hole with the rest of us." M's deep voice made Lant'n sputter. With a flick of his fingers Ehd Wyrd was unfrozen, and continued his spring, crashing to the floor as the little man disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Ehd Wyrd searched the area for him, but he wasn't there.

"He's gone. Good." M kissed Rose on the cheek as he pulled her closer.

I stared up at the heavy stone above us. "I can get us out of here any time. But maybe we're safer in here, at least for now."

"You're still stupid!" Lant'n was back, and he held a pitcher of water. "We'll rest here for a bit, but then we'll have to leave."

"You don't get to tell us what to do." M glared at the Leprin as he petted Rose's hair.

Lant'n handed me the pitcher and a cup. "You don't have to listen to me. You can die here. When the sun is midway in the sky, the giants will be hungry, and I won't be here for lunch."

"We're not defenseless." Ehd Wyrd didn't make the mistake of trying to attack him again.

"Of course not. But they know what you are, and they will be ready for dragons. They're looking forward to it even—dragon tongue is a rare delicacy." His eyes met mine. "You already heard what they'll do to you, elf. Don't underestimate them. They'll spend their lust on you, and eat you before morning—the sleeping lass as well."

"Why are you telling us this?" Ehd Wyrd was clearly skeptical, but he was willing to listen.

"Leprins made a foolish deal a few generations ago. We agreed we would take the side of the reigning fairy queen, and not help the usurpers. We were wrong, but we cannot break the oath. We must help her since other side has become too powerful, and we cannot help the other side. You are currently neutral, so I decided help you. But I'm beginning to think that was a mistake as well."

"We appreciate your help, Lant'n." I spoke before Ehd Wyrd or M could further insult the man. "We're new to all this, and we just want to find our way out of it."

"The only way out is through the prophesy."

"The prophesy doesn't make sense to us."

"It's not supposed to make sense!" He seemed to be irritated with me again. "Prophesy is a guide. You're asking all the wrong questions!"

"What questions should we be asking?" He eyed me from under bushy brows, then nodded.

"Ask why monsters from other realms come here to fight. Ask why giants, ogres, trolls, and goblins fight each other in a war between _fairies._ Ask why there are no fairy armies. Ask why they don't use their magic to fight the war."

"You know all these answers." I didn't say it as a question, but a fact.

"Of course. Tall ones so stupid; wisdom is with the small."

"Can you tell us the answers?" I was getting tired of trying to lead him.

"Answer you one, I will. Fairies use magic, and magic uses fairies. Fairies who want control of their own lives and destinies use magic less. Great magic comes with a cost."

"So they don't fight their own wars, so they don't have to use magic, and they can stay in control." M's voice rumbled in the small space.

"Ah! You _can_ learn.

"What would happen if the magic took control? What are they trying to prevent?"

"Fey is a peaceful place. Magic seeks peace and tranquility. Fairies want war." He giggled. "If fairies used their own magic for war, peace would break out."

"So why do the other creatures fight for them?"

"I answered one for you already. You want this answer—ask _them."_ He pointed to the roof of our prison.

"Fine, I will." I remembered the name of one of the monsters who'd fought over the chance to... well, I didn't want to think about it. I knew the name and likeness of one ugly ogre, and with magic from the seventh law of identity, I was able to imitate him. I did so well, even Ehd Wyrd backed away, and he knew who I was.

He didn't want me to go alone. He tried at first to get me to agree he should go instead, then he tried to convince me to take him along. His protectiveness was sweet, but it was starting to irritate me.

"I can handle this without you, and I'll be able to deal with the monsters better, if I'm not distracted. Besides, you need to stay here in case they come to get you out for lunch. M can't take care of Rose and fight monsters at the same time." He held me close and kissed me, even while I looked like an ogre. M made a retching noise, and he let me go.

I could have flown up to the rock, but an ogre would never fly. I dug sharp claws into the tough earth, and climbed up to the top of the hole.

"Lets me out! Murder yer souls if ya don't lets me out now!" I could have moved the rock with my magic, but I didn't think an ogre could—not while hanging on to the wall of the hole. I squinted into the daylight as the stone was lifted away.

"How you get down there?" The giant holding the rock didn't look like he wanted to let me out.

"I wants to take me turn with the elf first."

"Get out!" He scooped me up by the back of my robe, and tossed me aside. "Elf's not for you! Elf's for queen. All of 'em goes to the queen." He put the rock back and crossed his immense arms over his chest.

"She can't eats 'em all herself!" The giant chortled at my joke.

"Fairy queen won't eats 'em."

"Maybe she wants ta rut wid 'em?" I tried to give an exaggerated knowing look. The giant roared with laughter.

"Fairies can't ruts with dragons. Dragons too big, like giants. Fairies bust." He continued laughing. "I'd give a sack a gold ta see that happen to the fairy queen." He went on to detail what it would look like. "... and the dragon could use the wings for a trophy!" He laughed even louder at his own joke. I was beginning to agree with Lant'n; the tall creatures really were stupid.

"Why you fight for the queen, if ya hate her?" I was afraid of being too subtle, so I asked directly.

"I don't fights fer the royal fairy slitch! I fights fer Mungo, the mountain giant chief! We always fights the valley tribes when there's war."

"But this is a fairy war, why do giants and goblins fight?"

"To beats our enemies, of course. Mountain giants fights valley giants, cave goblins fights swamp goblins, and trolls and ogres fights anybody!" He again laughed, and I laughed along with him. "You no likes ta fight?" He eyed me warily, like I might have some kind of disease.

"I likes ta fight! I jes wonder why we're doing the fairy queen's bidding, that's all." He stared at me like I'd sprouted wings myself.

"Bidding? What this bidding?" Oops, I'd exceeded his comprehension.

"Why we do the fairy queen's dirty work? Why we fight and die, while fairies play? Why we leaves home, while fairies hide? Fairies war, fairies should _fight, _me say!" The giant's face twisted in confusion, then he laughed loud and long.

"Flebitz, you funny! Fairies can't fight, they's too puny."

"They can fights with magic. I seen em with my own eyes, I did! Why they not here? Why only giants and ogres fight?"

"Not just giants and ogres. Trolls and goblins..."

"...and hobgoblins and leprin's too, I knows that. But not _fairies—_they not here. Why are we fighting their war?"

"We... " His puzzled look grew, and he sat down, shaking the ground. "We fights for Mungo, and Mungo fights the valley giants."

"But _why? _What do giants win?"

"We... we has fun bashing valley giants. Who wins takes women. Who loses, loses women. Mungo is great chief—wins many womens!"

"Where are the valley giants and the women? Where Mungo?" The giant scratched his head and looked around.

"Valley giants say we are weak! Mungo say we fight for fairy queen, and show valley giants we strong!"

"Who said you were weak? And why do the rest of us fight for the fairy queen?"

"The usurper say we is all weak! Valley giants laugh at us, and we must fight for the fairy queen to show we are not weak."

"What if the fairy queen said you're weak, and blamed it on the valley giants? What if she wanted you to fight her war?"

"Mungo would tell us! Mungo leads us; Mungo smart." I didn't dare disagree, and nodded along with him. I left him there guarding the hole and went in search of someone with higher rank than the giant. It didn't take me long to find him.

Girtch wasn't a giant, but the hobgoblin was clearly in charge in some capacity. He was doing a lot of yelling, and as a result a lot of other monsters were scrambling. I knew his name, because he made sure everyone knew it.

"Girtch is not happy! Bring food to Girtch, and bring ale! Next one to make Girtch angry will lose an eye!" I waited while everyone hurried to set him up with food and ale. I watched the sun climb higher in the sky as he tore into what looked like the roasted leg of a small horse. He drank from a tankard big enough to wash my hair in, and I hoped he would get drunk, or at least calm down.

I picked up a long stick from the ground, and casually walked to where Girtch was eating. I laid the stick on the table with a thunk, just after I cast a spell on it. To me it was still just a stick, but to Girtch it was a fine, heavy sword, with a giant blue gem glinting in the afternoon sun.

"Girtch, I found this on a hobgoblin I killed last night. It's too heavy for me, but I know you is strong enough to carry it."

"The usurper's hobgoblins is weak! Girtch be glad to take that sword."

"Why do you fight the usurper's army?"

"We fights because they are the enemy."

"But why are they the enemy? They're fairies."

We don't fights fairies! We fights hobgoblins, and trolls, and giants, and goblins, and... enemies! They say we is weak, but _they _is weak!"

"Who started the fight, Girtch?" He eyed the stick/ sword on the table. "You can have the sword if you can tell me who decided hobgoblins needed to fight in the fairy war."

"Hobgoblin's is always fighting. Fairies give us swords and bows, and weapons instead of clubs and rocks. Fairy queen tells us the usupers think we is too weak to smash them. Usupers think all fairy queen's army is too weak to win."

"Do fairies ever fight with you?"

"Fairies can't _fight! _Fairies too weak." I did my best to convince Girtch that the stick was a sword, and left him there caressing the hilt. Back at the hole, the monsters were gathering nearby. They had a fire built, and I wondered which of their captives they planned to cook and which they planned to eat raw. I didn't plan to stick around to find out.

It was one of the first spells my grandmother had taught me, and I lifted the rock with the magic of my mind. At the same time I had to make it look like it was still there. I closed my eyes and envisioned the illusion I wanted the camp to see. A great black dragon shot from the hole, blasting the rock away. Behind it flew a smaller bronze dragon, followed by a fiery orange bird. The giants were indeed ready for the escape, and my dragons had to fly an intricate pattern through the camp in order to keep from being hit. Because they weren't real, they were faster than real dragons.

To make sure they didn't have a chance to figure out the deception, I cast spells as if they came from the dragons, and M's image was able to breathe fire, while Ehd Wyrd's image spewed lava. With fires erupting around the camp, monsters scattered, and some gave chase when the dragons headed east. During the distraction our group managed to escape the hole. I didn't want them to change into their dragon forms while there were so many giants in the area, so I made M look like a troll, and Rosalie became a sheep carcass in his arms. Ehd Wyrd was the right height to pull off an ogre disguise like me, and as we ran, no one took notice of us.

"Why are you going west? That's the wrong way!" Lant'n was running along with us, though I noticed his feet never touched the ground.

"My brother J'Spurr hasn't been found yet. We were all heading for the gateway when we were separated." Ehd Wyrd didn't break stride to answer the leprin's questions, even though we'd left the monsters far behind.

"Stop!" With his shouted command, we all stopped and stared at the little man. With a flick of his fingers he cast a globe around us, shutting us away from anyone outside's hearing and sight. It was much larger than the one Alyss could cast. "You cannot go west—not yet."

"Why should we listen to you?"

"Tall ones," he muttered under his breath as he shook his head. "Go west and die. You'll walk right into the fairy queen's trap. She has your brother at her mercy, and already the blue dragon is in chains."

"Tell me more about my brother." Ehd Wyrd was starting to believe the leprin.

He shrugged, unconcerned. "After the fair prince attacks the usurper fairy princess, he will marry the reigning fairy queen."

"What? What does that mean? Is Alyss the usurper fairy princess? J'Spurr would never kill her, he's in love with her." I felt a sense of panic at the prediction of what could be in store for my friends.

"It is written, the usurper princess will marry the fairy prince. As she ascends the throne, the fair prince will cut her wings from her, and take them back to the reigning fairy queen. Then the fairy prince will marry the fairy he loves, fulfilling prophesy."

"That's impossible, J'Spurr's not a fairy for one thing. He would never hurt Alyss, he loves her. And she would never marry someone else, she loves him." I felt my protest was a waste of breath.

"All is not as it once was." Lant'n smiled like he knew something we didn't know.

"You still haven't told us why we can't go west." Ehd Wyrd was the voice of reason in my confusion.

"You must go back to witness the wedding. But first you need to stop the war."

"Sure, we'll just snap our fingers and make it happen." M didn't seem impressed with Lant'n's ideas. Even as we stood there, he never put Rose down. Once I dropped the illusion, she looked like a broken doll in his arms.

"Both queens are cheating. Do you have any idea what will happen if this war continues?" Lant'n looked more upset and involved than I'd ever seen him.

"The monsters will wipe each other out." It was what I'd learned from talking with them.

"Yes!" He was so excited he jumped at my answer.

"You care about the monsters?" Lant'n rolled his eyes at Ehd Wyrd's confusion.

"Dragons are monsters, do not forget. Being a monster does not mean one is unworthy of living. Fairies have forgotten that. The fairy queens think only the beautiful deserve to live. Tell them what you've learned, elf." He turned expectant eyes on me.

I think... I think the fairies have somehow tricked the monsters into fighting their war for them. They're used to fighting, but the fairies are providing them with weapons they wouldn't normally have. Is that right?" I met Lant'n's gaze.

"Well done." He sighed deeply. "It may seem that monsters are foul creatures and there's no great loss if they all die in a war. But they're part of Fey, and a loss so great would be felt by all of us. Monsters are not the evil beings some would have you believe. They're quite happy bashing heads and fighting among themselves, but it never used to be deadly. They test their strength against one another to decide who will lead, and they fight over females. It's made them strong over time. But what the fairies are doing could wipe them all out. They're loyal, and they'll fight for their chiefs until he tells them to stop."

"And he won't, because...?" I tried to lead him to answer me.

"Why do you think that is, elf?" Talking to him reminded me a bit of talking to my grandmother, when everything was a lesson.

"Because...because the chiefs are somehow being controlled...?"

"Remember, fairies don't want to use their magic..." He looked at me expectantly.

"It would take a lot of magic to control so many chiefs for so long... oh my... it's you!" The realization hit me suddenly, and Lant'n danced with glee as I guessed the secret. "The leprins are controlling the chiefs! You're the ones spreading the insults and keeping them fighting! Why would you..." I stopped and stared at him as everything started making sense. "...you_ have _to help the queen. She put you up to it, and now you're worried the monsters will all die in this war. That's why you need us to stop the war."

"You're smart enough to be short. It makes sense, elves have their own magic, like leprins."

"Why didn't you just tell us this from the beginning?" Ehd Wyrd looked thoroughly disgusted with Lant'n.

"He couldn't tell us; he's probably been forbidden." The more I thought about the situation, the more it became clear.

"The lass knows of what she speaks. You guessed the answers yourselves, once you knew the questions to ask. I could only guide you."

"That's still doesn't tell us why we should head away from the gateway?" M didn't even look at him, his only concern was for Rose. Getting her through the gateway was his biggest worry.

"Where do you think the invisible dragon came from?" Lant'n asked M, though he clearly knew the answer. "What do you think will happen to the lass if she goes through the gateway now?"

"Why should we get involved in the war, when we could be taking care of the monsters on the other side of the gate?" M nodded agreement at Ehd Wyrd's question.

Lant'n looked at me. "Would you care to guess, Lass, why there are so many monsters lurking about the gateway on both sides?"

I felt sick to my stomach as I thought about what we'd wandered into. I knew a trip to the fairy realm wouldn't be all butterflies, unicorns, and rainbows, but I certainly didn't expect war, genocide, and corruption to be part of the trip.

"Did the queen call the monsters from the other realm to fight her war for her?"

"You didn't hear it from me. Truth is, Prince Mar'n has been doing a fine job of leading the usurper side against the queen. He's quite the brilliant tactician, when the acting queen, Jyss'ca stays out of it. He's the reason Queen Lore'yn's side is losing so badly."

"Why not just assassinate Mar'n?" M thought of the most timely way to deal with the problem.

"We cannot assassinate him; he's tied into the prophesy."

"I'm about sick to death of this prophesy!" Ehd Wyrd ran his fingers through his hair, and looked like he wanted to pace, or fly. "I feel like we're nothing but puppets, dancing around while someone we cannot see pulls our strings."

"So, we can't go to the gateway, because it's overrun by monsters. We can't rescue J'Spurr because the fairy queen has him. We can't get Rose out of this realm. We can't save Alyss from marrying the other prince because of the prophesy. If we choose to believe you, it seems we can't do much of anything right now." I'd been trying to detect some kind of untruth in him, but he hadn't told us a single lie, except by omission.

"You can stop the war."

"Of course, that should be easy." I threw up my hands and Ehd Wyrd gathered me into his arms.

**A/N: As you can tell, my update schedule has fallen under the weight of writing four stories simultaneously. I have every intention of sticking with this one, but updates will take longer. Thank you for reading. **


	7. Chapter 7 War Torn

Chapter 7

War Torn

I missed my J'Spurr. The days passed, and I kept thinking that I could escape, but every time I tried, the castle stopped me. Doors became walls, and windows refused to open. In the gardens all I had to do was walk toward the gate, and that walk turned into a pilgrimage I could never finish. I tried to go over the wall, and vines snared me and held me tight. When I tried to fly away, I felt as if I hit a ceiling I couldn't pass. I was moved into a luxurious suite of rooms, and I cried myself to sleep every night.

Over and over again, I tried to appeal to Jyss'ca, but she just dismissed my arguments and my sadness, and pushed me toward Prince Mar'n. The last time I tried to get through to her, she'd commanded me to spend the day and most of the evening with him. I was compelled to stay in his presence from the time I awoke until I was ready to drop from exhaustion.

I wished he was a bad man—or fairy, or whatever—but he wasn't. For the most part he was pleasant, and always kind to me. If I weren't already in love, I might have found him an acceptable choice. But instead, everything he did reminded me that he wasn't J'Spurr. He lacked J'Spurr's predatory edge. His eyes were a dark brown instead of blue, and his hair was the same color as my own, and I missed the way J'Spurr's always seemed to be lit from within.

He smelled different too. Not that I wanted to get close enough to notice, but with Jyss'ca pushing us together, it was inevitable. He had a flowery fragrance that I once found appealing, but it soon began to sickened me. J'Spurr always smelled good to me. He smelled like earth, and trees, and the sea. Mar'n just wasn't the one I wanted.

My misery left me wandering the castle, trying to find some way of escape, or something to help me change my fate. I happened on a room high in a castle turret with a view of the valley below. It was the focus of a lot of work and preparation, with carpenters and craftsmen creating a beautiful, one-of-a-kind bed in the center. When I questioned them, I was horrified to discover it was the wedding suite of the new queen and her groom. It was the place where Prince Mar'n would force me to join with him. Only I knew he wouldn't have to force me; I'd be magically in love with him by then. What was to happen in that bed would be the official end of any chance I had to be with J'Spurr.

I fled. I needed to find a place where I could hide away from my reality. I couldn't escape, and I was beginning to despair that there was no way out of my fate. I even thought about killing myself—then realized how foolish that would be. No. I couldn't end my own life. But I thought that maybe I could hide from it all. I made my way to the area of the castle where the servants lived. There were many of them, and they had small rooms in the lower hallways.

Looking around, I observed the lives they lead, saw their children hidden away, compared their meager possessions to the abundance the royals enjoyed—and felt ashamed. I'd been so worried about myself, I hadn't even paid attention to the servant fairies doing the work around the castle. What they wore could be called rags next to what I wore. Their rooms were so small, and none of them faced the sun. Their children played with simple and worn out toys, and they ate little better than the prisoners.

If I did become queen, this would have to end. It was the first time I could imagine marrying Prince Mar'n. It would give me the opportunity to fix what was wrong under Jyss'ca's rule. As this thought crossed my mind, I heard the sounds of an argument coming my way. I ducked into one of the small, empty rooms as the sounds came down the hallway. It was a man and a woman, and it sounded like he was trying to keep her quiet, but she was clearly upset with him.

They passed my door, and I swore I could hear Prince Mar'n. I left my hiding spot and followed them. I peered around the corner, and it was indeed the prince. They stopped a few yards away, and he turned to her.

"Enough! Don't you understand, I _cannot _change this! I _will not _change this. The kingdom matters more to me than my own selfish emotions. If I don't get married, Jyss'ca stays in power, and our people all suffer for my choice."

"You're tearing my heart out." I focused on the young woman he was with, and recognized her. It was Bree, the young, blond girl who had called him master. She was weeping openly as she held on to his sleeve. "I love you, Mar'n; doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"It means everything to me!" He pulled her close. "You know I love you, and I would give anything if we could be together—anything but the kingdom. I cannot place our happiness above the welfare of the people." She pulled away from him, turned her back and crossed her arms.

"It's easy for you; you'll have _her! _You'll be married to the princess; you'll love and adore _her,_ and you'll forget all about me. You'll have each other, and I'll have no one!" She spun to face him. "I want to put the people ahead of my own happiness, but I just _can't!_ You know I'm never going to forget you. I'll have to watch you... every single day for the rest of my life. I'll see you and _love _you... but you won't feel the same way ever again. I'll have to see you look at her the way you now look at me. I'll be a witness to your embraces and your kisses, and all the sweet things you do and say. I'm bound to you by more than love, and I won't be able to leave. It would have been better if you'd just left me in the dungeon to die alone!"

Her tears were flowing so freely I felt guilty for watching. He again gathered her in his arms, and held her tight, trying to comfort her.

"Don't say that... you're my world, Bree. I could never love her the way I love you. We just have to hold on to the hope that the magic won't work—or maybe it will fade over time."

"If the magic doesn't compel you, would you leave her? Would you set her aside for me?" She looked up at him with sad, blue eyes.

"I... that's not possible, Bree. You know it would destroy the kingdom. But we could still be together—sometimes—like now." He tipped her chin up, and would have kissed her, but she turned her head.

"Secret meetings. Lies. Sneaking. _Cheating._ Is that what our love will be reduced to? I'll be the deceiver, and I'll have to watch her beside you all the time in public. I'll get to see her have your children, and know I never can. She'll live the life I want, and I'll have to play the servant, hoping for the crumbs of affection you throw my way. And that's if the magic fails, and we both know it will not." She again looked up at him and took his hands.

"Kill me, Mar'n. Run your sword through my chest and end my suffering. Be merciful, I'm begging you." She fell to her knees, completely broken. I wiped the tears from my face, and tried to leave.

Instead my feet carried me toward them.

"No." They both turned to look at me. She let go of his hands and he backed away. "We are not getting married! There has to be another way, and the three of us are going to figure it out." I looked around and then opened the door to one of the rooms. "Let's talk in here, so we don't attract an audience."

The room was tiny, with a small bed and a chair. Bree collapsed onto the bed, and Mar'n sat beside her, putting his arm around her comfortingly. I took the chair, again wishing for J'Spurr to be by my side.

"Why didn't you tell me you have just as much reason to avoid this marriage as I do?"

"It doesn't matter, Alyss. The scrolls say we are to be married; it will happen." He sounded so defeated; it was another difference between him and J'Spurr. I knew J'Spurr would never give up on me.

"No it won't! I won't marry you. I don't owe any loyalty to this kingdom, and even if I did, I can't believe that peace built on lies and manipulation can be a good thing. You two are in love, and that _has _to mean something! Every fairy tale I've ever heard, claims love is the most powerful magic there is. It can break curses, it can wake the dead, it turns wrong into right. It does not roll over and give up! If you say you love her, Mar'n, then by the earth mother, you better be willing to sacrifice the kingdom for her—anything less isn't real love!

"The kingdom will suffer so much more, if their king isn't willing to give everything for love. If leaders are willing to put their whole being into war, jealousy, power, and hate, then you better be able to counter it with love—_that's _what matters—not some stupid prophesy!" They both stared at me.

"Listen, do you think I just happened to be down here at the exact time you two had your discussion? What kind of an accident would that take? Perhaps there's something more at work here than what's written on paper?" They looked at me like I'd grown an extra head. "I can't believe you put so much faith in those old writings. They're open to interpretation, and no one ever knows for sure how they're supposed to work out. Maybe instead of working to make it easy, we should work to make it right?"

"You don't understand, Alyss. It's always been this way. Everyone written into those scrolls married, and there was nothing they could do to change it."

"That was before I got here. I'm not going to marry you, Mar'n. I'd just as soon fall on your sword myself—I'm not going to be a puppet. If the magic of the realm can change me so much, that I would forget loving J'Spurr, then I would rather die." I met his eyes. "I have no intention of dying or killing myself, but I refuse to marry you—especially now that I know you're in love with someone else." I smiled at the small woman clinging to his side.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" He was skeptical, but she looked hopeful.

"I need to look at the scroll again. There has to be something there that we're not seeing."

"There's nothing. I've looked at it so many times I've got it memorized." I scowled at him as he spoke.

"I don't care what you _think _you know about it! I need to see it for myself. _You _need to decide it's worth it to fight for what you want. If your love for Bree isn't enough to fight for, then we're all just wasting our time! Do you want to be a very lonely, single man? I already said I wasn't going to marry you, and if you won't make a complete commitment to her, then _she _won't either!" It was only a guess, but as I spoke the words, I knew they were true. This was a turning point for them both.

He turned to her and held her hands in his. "She's right. I've been a fool, thinking that I could turn my back on you, in favor of the kingdom. I hope the people can forgive me if I'm wrong, but there's really no choice here. I love you, Bree. I will love you til my dying day, and I cannot marry anyone but you." He went down on his knees before her.

"Marry me, Princess Bree."

I gasped as she said yes. As they were wrapped in each other's arms, I replayed his words in my mind: 'Marry me, _Princess _Bree.' Unless he misspoke—and I doubted he had—she was a princess, a blond-haired, blue-eyed, princess of the enemy fairy kingdom! The pieces started to fall into place, and I knew it was no accident that we had decided to thwart the prophesy. I felt more hope than ever before, that I would be reunited with my J'Spurr.

I left them for a while, to celebrate their engagement. As I walked through the servant's halls I realized the prince had a much better grasp of what was wrong in the kingdom than I did. His willingness to turn his back on true love made sense, when I took into consideration what Jyss'ca's rule was costing the people. He really deserved to be king, and Jyss'ca deserved... she deserved to live down here—or better yet in her own dungeon.

The sound of many booted feet caught my attention. At the end of the hall, I saw a guard detail, and I hurried the other way, to warn Mar'n and Bree. We met them in the hall. They'd come to find Prince Mar'n, with reports of a serious battle underway along one of the main roads leading to the city.

"Queen Jyss'ca wants you to lead the army there immediately and turn them back." The guards ignored me, and Bree was pretty much invisible in her servant's dress. Mar'n looked as if he would go immediately, but I took hold of his arm.

"Give us a few minutes, will you?" I was looking at the soldiers, who didn't seem to want to listen to me. Jyss'ca commanded them, and I was still an outsider.

"I'll be along in a few minutes." Mar'n spoke to the soldiers. "Gather the soldiers from the city, and we'll collect the rest of our forces once we pass through the gates. I won't be long." The uniformed fairy looked at me with mistrust, but then turned and took the rest of the detachment and left us there.

"What's so important, Alyss?" Even Mar'n looked impatient. He was the one who commanded the army, and he obviously took his job seriously.

"Take me with you! I can help in the fight, and if I'm part of the army the castle _has _to let me go. My friends are out there somewhere, and I know we'll find a way out of this curse if I can only reach them."

"No! I can't take you, Alyss. It's dangerous out there, and even if it was safe the castle won't let you go. It obeys the queen, not me. I don't have time for this now."

"I know." I looked to make sure all the soldiers were gone from the hall, then smiled. "You do have time to kiss your fiance` goodbye, right?" He looked surprised as I retreated and Bree took my spot. I didn't stick around to watch their goodbye, but instead followed after the soldiers. It was a dim hope, but I had to try and see if the castle would let me go if I went with the soldiers. I made it all the way to the gate, then the portcullis slammed shut, narrowly missing the wings of the fairy in front of me.

The next squad of soldiers was assembling in the courtyard, and I thought about waiting for them. But instead I flew back inside the castle. I knew I wasn't fighting the prophesy alone, and that gave me hope, but I felt like I needed to somehow be involved in what was happening. I passed Prince Mar'n coming out of the castle as he went to take charge of some of the soldiers gathering near the gates. Standing in the shadows of the castle was Bree, looking forlorn and worried.

"Come with me." I didn't give her a chance to argue but took her by the hand and lead her away from the door. "You can't do anything but distract him out there." I lead her through the halls, making certain to stay out of the way of Queen Jyss'ca. I stopped outside the door of the library. Neither of us were permitted inside, and I'd come up against the defenses every time I'd tried to get a look at the prophesy scrolls.

"You've read the scrolls yourself. I haven't been able to get through the door so I could see them with my own eyes. Will you help me?" I knew she didn't trust me; up until an hour ago I was her enemy. "Please, Bree, I need your help. I'm in love with J'Spurr, and if I can't figure a way out of this mess... I don't know what I'll do!" I hoped she could see we had the same goal.

"Fine. I'll get the scroll. You stay out here and keep watch." I felt the power of the magic she used to get the door to open. As I stood there waiting, I had time to consider that most of the fairies I'd seen rarely used magic. The queen used magic, but I got the feeling it came from her crown, and not her own ability. Bree had used magic to get into the room. My own magic had been limited by the queen. We were fortunate that no one came by while I waited on her; I don't know if I could have done anything to help.

"I've got it, let's go." I didn't see the scroll, but I didn't doubt her. I lead her through the castle and up several flights of stairs.

"Where are we going?" She was following me, but the route we were taking had her confused. I was trying to keep out of the way of anyone who might question the two of us together.

"With so many going to fight the battle, I think I know someplace where we shouldn't be disturbed." A circular set of steps lead even further up, and we came to the room at the top of the turret—my honeymoon suite. Bree looked around, and I didn't need to tell her what she was seeing. The bed had been draped in gauzy silk since I'd first seen it, and there was no doubt its intended purpose.

"Why did you bring me here?" Her trembling voice told me she was on the verge of tears.

"Two reasons. One is to remind you why we're going to scour this stupid scroll for a way out. And the other is..." I tore away the gauze from the bed. "...no one's going to be using this room anytime soon—unless it's you and Mar'n." Our eyes met for a moment, and a timid smile lit her face. I went to the door and locked it from the inside. It struck me as odd that the lock was a physical lock, even though I knew it would be a simple matter for a fairy to lock it with magic.

"Bree... why don't the fairies here use much magic? I've seen a few underlings use it, and you and Mar'n do too. But most everyone I've encountered here—well except for the sprites—use as little magic as possible." She plopped down onto the bed with a sigh.

"The wanderer who wrote the prophesies shared a truth with us all. The magic of this realm is almost a living thing itself. It seeks balance and peace between all creatures of Fey. The magic becomes a part of everything and everyone who comes here, and it works to make everything fall in line with that balance. Using the magic makes us more in balance with the realm. It makes us more peaceful."

"I don't get it, isn't that a _good _thing?" I sat down beside her on the bed.

"Yes... most of the time it's a very good thing. But the wanderer showed us that this peacefulness was making us vulnerable to the attacks from the dragon realm. His recommendation was that we have an army ready to meet any threats, and that this army should not use magic at all. At first we were in agreement with him—that's part of the story the usur... this group of fairies does not believe. Our side agreed to train an army, and these soldiers didn't use magic in their training. When a monster came out of the gateway, our army went to meet it. They tried to fight it without magic, and they weren't strong enough. When they resorted to magic, they were untrained in its use, and the monster destroyed them all." She looked like she would weep.

"I'm sorry, it was a very long time ago, but it became the cause of the split between our two peoples. The traveler showed up as the monster headed toward the city. It was eating people..." Here she stopped and wiped the tears from her eyes. "... I've seen these things in my nightmares—it was horrible! The wanderer was somehow able to fight this menace, and he used magic to do it. He made the reigning queen look like a fool—she was trying to hide the people in the tall trees. People began to doubt her, and put their trust in the wanderer.

"Two more times creatures came through the gate; the second time there was a small army there to fight it, and they turned it back through the gate. The last time, it was a terrible dragon that came through, and it surely would have destroyed the people of the first city. But by this time the wanderer had a large force, and he lead them to a victory against the dragon, and it fled back through the gate." She pulled the scroll from the pocket of her dress, and it was clear there was no way it would have fit in there naturally.

"Most of our two histories are the same on the conflict with the monsters. But it's the details of the split that we disagree on. I was always taught that the usurper demanded to lead the people, and for this the queen banished him and anyone allied with him. Mar'n tells me he was taught that the wanderer tried to appeal to the queen, and instead he was cast out and cursed. The people joined him freely, but they could never go back home. At this point it doesn't matter, we've been growing apart for hundreds of years. Every now and then we go to war..."

"I don't understand how fairies can go to war. I thought the original problem was that they didn't want to fight the monsters coming through the gate. How does a peaceful people come to war?"

"Now that's where the answer to your first question comes in. The usur... I mean the wanderer tried to tell us that we needed an army that didn't use magic. What he didn't tell us, was flying was considered magic too. The essence of magic is all around us, and the beating of our wings pulls the magic into us, like a fine net. Flying was the same as casting spells; it made the soldiers too passive and weak. The trick to being able to fight, was behaving more like the other creatures of Fey—trolls, giants, goblins and ogres. They don't use much magic at all, and they're very good at fighting."

"Mar'n said that fairies used magic to kill one another." I remembered his explanations.

"Fairy magic is very powerful. But until the wanderer came, fairies were rarely malicious enough to use it against one another. Accidents happened, of course, but the magic of Fey also works for the good of the people. Unless a fairy was completely destroyed, the magic would slowly heal them. Even missing limbs will slowly regrow, though I have heard of weapons that can make this damage permanent. I know my sister the queen has one of them." I wanted to ask how her sister was the queen, and she still wound up rotting away in Jyss'ca's dungeon. But I wanted to know more about how they had changed.

"Once the split happened, our side became vigilant against attack from our enemies. There was the worry that the usurper would return with an army to wipe out the first city. The usurper instead went into the valley to build his own palace and city. They didn't have to worry about being attacked by dragons, and so they used the magic of Fey to build the city here. They put a lot of magic into the palace and the royal items as well. Your necklace is one of those, as is Queen Jyss'ca's crown, and my sister's tiara. They used a lot of powerful magic back then."

"I thought using magic made fairies want peace?" I was getting confused by the story.

"There was something about that wanderer—he was able to keep most of them focused on building a new city. There were a few who tried to return, but they were turned away. The great divide was permanent"

"So now that this wanderer is gone, no one uses magic here?"

"Mar'n told me that the wanderer left them about a hundred years after he arrived. He left them with the city, the palace and all its defenses, and several powerful items of magic. He wrote the scrolls, giving future generations a guideline of succession, marriage, and rule. At first they followed his guide out of respect. But later they discovered the unions, the succession, all of what he'd written had a way of coming true—as if he'd seen the future."

"He's wrong this time." I looked her in the eyes and spoke the words with all the assurance I had. "You can trust me; I get glimpses of the future, and I have never seen Mar'n in mine."

"I hope you're right. Be careful with the scrolls, I brought you the originals, not a copy." She got up and went to look out the window over the valley.

"As I was growing up, I observed the limits we had on magic use. I've always felt it there, as if it were calling me; it calls to all of us who are attuned. I knew we limited magic, so we could always be wary and vigilant—in case our enemies attacked. I think this is how we've maintained the divide; none of us use much magic. When I was captured, I was locked away in the dungeons, and I couldn't even cast a simple light spell. I promised myself if I ever got free, I'd use my magic no matter what; I'd swim in it like it was the sea." She turned to look at me.

"I think it's that promise that freed me. As soon as I came to that decision, Mar'n found me. He said he didn't even know why he went to the dungeons that day, but I knew I wouldn't have lasted any longer if he hadn't found me. He saved my life." She gazed at me intently. "He wasn't alone in saving me; I really do believe the All Mother of Fey saved me. I think she heard my silent promise, and she lead Mar'n there to free me."

"Do you think she made you fall in love with him?" I didn't know if I believed her story of divine providence.

"No." Her smile was beautiful. "I hated him at first. Imagine that, hating the one who saved me. I was raised to believe everyone here was my enemy, and the imposter queen reinforced that belief when she made me his slave. I kept my promise, and I used a lot of magic trying to escape. I did many devious things to irritate the queen and make life miserable for anyone living here. I actually created a thunderstorm inside the walls, and it rained and flooded for two days before they found me and forced me to stop it." We both laughed at this story.

"The false queen had to use the power stored in her crown to put an end to my magic. She thought she shut me down for good, but little by little it came back; it's found a way around her barrier. I could cause another thunderstorm if I wanted to, but I've been using it to try to put an end to the war instead."

"End the war? Wouldn't you try to help your side win?" I wasn't sure what was motivating her.

"I do all I can to confuse the armies and send them in the wrong direction. I send rain to turn battlefields into mud pits. I corrupt their weapons and armor with rust and corrosion—on both sides. Since I've been using magic... the hate is gone. It's like the magic washes it away and I just can't hold it anymore. The fighting needs to stop; even Mar'n can see that now. The queens—both of them—they need to end this war. Our people need to be reunited. It's not just about the split or our two different peoples anymore. It's tearing the realm apart. I can feel it, like a discordance in the song the all mother sings."

She turned back to the window as I unrolled the scroll on the bed. I noted the path of the sun crossing the floor as I read over every detail of what seemed to be both family tree and history. It was dull reading, and most of the names were unfamiliar to me. I did read my own mother's lineage, and traced it back to when the split occurred. One of her great grandfathers had been in line for the throne of the first city. It seemed the split hadn't destroyed the royal lines; they took those titles with them, and this ancestor of mine had been one of the first kings here. I was able to trace back Jyss'ca's lineage, as well as Mar'n's. I opened my mouth to ask Bree a question, when I heard her squeal of alarm.

"Alyss come quick!" I rushed to the window, and tried to see what she was seeing. All I saw was the beautiful view, with hills trees, and meandering streams. "Can you see it?"

"See what?" I looked harder where she was pointing. I thought I saw smoke, but that was all.

"Oh, I forgot, you can't use your magic." With a wave of her hands, it looked as if she drew a second window in front of me. Through this window, I could see what she was trying to show me. There was a battle going on in the valley. It wasn't very far from the palace, but it was still far enough away I couldn't see it without her help.

As I watched, two forces clashed in a small clearing. There were giants throwing boulders, ogres smashing with hammers, and goblins with razor sharp swords in a fierce melee combat. I couldn't tell if anyone was winning, but it was clear to see there were a lot of losers. Bodies littered the ground like broken toys.

"There's Mar'n, on that rise." She pointed him out, and I could see where he was commanding his army. "It's too late for me to do anything to prevent the battle. They were too close to send them wandering, and I'm not going to attack my own forces directly. They'll have to fight it out now."

Even as I watched, a volley of rocks were hurled from the giants at Mar'n's command. A dozen smaller creatures went down under the barrage, and goblins rushed to finish any who didn't get up from the field. The counter attack from the other side was just as swift, and even more brutal. Ogres and hobgoblins came from the cover of the trees. They charged the goblins, spitting many on spears, and cleaving others into pieces. Then the trolls and giants charged the rise where Mar'n's giant brigade was readying their next attack.

I had to turn away, there was just too much carnage. I felt sick.

"Alyss, look!" Bree shook my arm and I heard fear in her voice. The enemy giants had broken through, and Mar'n was under attack himself. Fortunately the fairy wasn't without magic, and it soon appeared he had another army coming to his defense

"Those are illusions; except for the sprites and a handful of commanders, he's alone out there." Her fingers clawed into my arm in her fear. Most of the enemies turned back at the sight of his illusory army. But some continued. We watched as Mar'n cast several attack spells at the enemy, driving all but a handful back.

Then the dragons came to his rescue!

It was M and Ehd Wyrd, and they flew in low over the enemy, breathing flames and lava. They were just in time to save Mar'n, but their appearance didn't turn the battle as I thought it should. All at once the enemy monsters targeted the dragons.

The black and the bronze dragon flew intricate patterns to avoid the rocks being hurled by the giants. The ogres were chucking spears into the sky with deadly accuracy. I never would have believed that anything could fight a dragon, let alone two, but the monsters were giving them a serious fight. Both dragons instead flew high enough the spears and rocks fell short. They were still able to breathe down on the melee below, and soon the battlefield was burning and smoking in many places.

"They're not trying to kill the monsters; they're trying to separate the armies." I pointed this out to Bree. From our tower we could see the rough line of flames and lava, and the monsters were indeed returning to their respective sides to avoid being cut off. I thought they might be able to end the battle.

Another dragon joined in, dashing those hopes. The huge blue dragon seemed to dwarf everything as it took to the sky. It's lightning breath tore first into Mar'n's monsters, then it flew after the black and bronze dragons above. M and Ehd Wyrd narrowly missed being hit by bolts of lightning, as the dragon I thought was our friend tried to blast them out of the sky.

"No... this is all _wrong!_ Ghar'rett would never attack them like that. What's going on?" The only good thing about the battle, was that now the monsters had mostly stopped fighting, and they were watching the aerial combat. M breathed fire at the blue dragon, and Ehd Wyrd darted in to nip at his wing. Ehd Wyrd underestimated the giant blue menace. He was big, but he was older and fiercer than the sinuous bronze, and he definitely wasn't slow. The spiked blue tail whipped through the air and batted Ehd Wyrd like a club, smashing him toward the ground. I saw the broken trees where he went down, but he disappeared so fast I lost sight of him.

M was on the defensive, as he flew through the sky, dodging lightning attacks and trying to keep Ghar'rett from catching him. He couldn't get close enough to breathe on the blue, and if he flew too close to the ground the monsters lobbed spears at him. I wondered why he didn't fly away, then the horrifying realization hit me; he would never leave Rose. The others had to be nearby.

I started to look for Rose, Be'lah, and my J'Spurr among the creatures on the ground. It was no use, Be'lah could easily hide them from normal sight.

Bree and I both caught our breath as the tide of the battle changed again. I didn't need Bree's magical window to see it, and I knew Be'lah wasn't hiding my friends in the woods.

The fi'nyx took to the sky.

One thing the window did, was allow us to hear her song. It was beautifully soothing, and we stood there in the tower feeling the anxiety fall away. The fiery bird was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen, and as she spread her wings in the sky, Ghar'rett stopped his attack. Indeed, all the monsters stopped fighting. She flew over the battlefield, singing her haunting song, and the fighting ended.

Then something caught my eye, and my heart stopped beating for a moment. On a rock, behind the enemy lines I spotted a lone figure. It was clear in an instant he was leading the enemy army. J'Spurr!

**A/N: Apologies for the time between chapters. Four stories simultaneously-what was I thinking? Please don't give up on me, I do intend to finish.**


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